War Games
by KingxLeon21
Summary: Tired of her indifference, and not being of any significance, a plan he has formed in hopes of showing his importance. Freddie has had it and Sam doesn't think he's serious. How can Freddie show Sam he means business.
1. Declaration

**Ok I think I remember how to do this: I don't own iCarly… I did it!!**

Now that we've gotten past that sort of unruly nonsense; it's me, KL21, here to bring you another story. I know its been a while but college is a beast and the homework isn't a walk in the part either. Nonetheless I've been workin' since my brief reprieve. As a matter of fact I actually wanted to have more of this story completed before I gave this to you guys but I felt so bad about leaving you guys for so long I decided to give ya'll a lil somethin.

So here it is: My newest story entitled; Dangerous Game. Please read enjoy and review. Thank you

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Declaration

"I don't believe you did that." She couldn't have done that… she just couldn't have.

She looks at me as if she is completely innocent and if I hadn't known her for what seems like forever I would've believed that she was, in fact, completely innocent. "What are you talkin' about Fred-lick?" I know her too well for that.

"I'm talkin' about how you told Kayla Stevens that I have Herpes." I was this close to going out with her and Sam had to ruin it. I didn't want a reason… I didn't even think there was one. But I needed this to try to get over Sam. I might like her but I could never tell her that. I don't like rejection. Not if I can't see it coming. I knew Carly would never love me, so her rejection isn't a surprise. But I can never be sure about Sam and because of that I am stuck at a virtual impasse.

"Whatever Freddie, it wouldn't have worked anyway." She gets up and walks over to Carly who is sitting on a bean bag chair. "Carls, do you think Freddie would've been able to…" Carly didn't want to hear any of it.

"I'm not getting involved Sam. Not anymore. Not after what happened to Spencer." She visibly shudders at the thought while stroking her hair. She stares off into space as if she's remembering a life scarring event. "It still doesn't look the same. All he could say was, 'It was so luxurious.' He still cries about it, Sam" With those words she left the studio. This has become part of the Sam-Freddie argument model: Sam offends… I rebut… Sam goes to Carly for back-up… Carly gives that speech verbatim, vacant stares and all... she leaves and we continue the aforementioned argument.

She has recently made a vow to stay as far away from our arguments as she possibly could ever since one of them led to Sam cutting off Spencer's hair. I don't know how it got to that point but surely enough Carly then developed a fear that hers would be next and vowed to us that she would never step in the middle of an argument again… regardless of the topic of the argument.

She just shrugs off the scene, "Eh whatever… the point is that it wouldn't have ever worked because no one will ever love you." She chuckles and, as always, I'm left in the dark. This time I don't have to pry for any insight to what she finds so funny. "I wonder how long it would be until the entire school knows about your dirty little secret." My eyes widen because she was right. Kayla is a notorious gossip; this news, false as it may be, would be known to everyone by the ring of the first bell tomorrow, and that's the time it would take to get to faculty. All of the students, sadly, probably already knew. Carly had already gotten a text of the news earlier that afternoon. Which, in fact, turned out to be a three text long story about: what happened, how it happened, and who it happened with. She truly was one of the best gossips I've ever seen.

That's when it clicked. She is taking away any hope that I ever had at any happiness in any way shape or form. What kills me is that she doesn't care. She turns my life into a living nightmare and there isn't one shred of concern anywhere in her soul. Something has to change and desperate times call for desperate measures.

"You know what Sam…" I don't know what I'm going to say, but I can't take it anymore. "I…" I've never been this angry. "I…" I look up and see her smirk. It's usually enchanting but at the moment it's infuriating. That gives me all the anger I need to say it. "I'm through." I say with a calm voice despite the boiling anger that I feel.

I look up at her and her brief expression of shock is replaced with a smirk of disbelief. "Yeah, whatever dork." Her tone is very smug, almost snarky. I could tell she didn't believe me but I was _so_ serious. I was about to confirm my decision when she continued talking, "You know you need me. That's why you'll stay no matter what I do." Her tone is now very sarcastic. It fills me with rage.

How dare she play with my emotions like that!?! Ok, sure, she didn't exactly know that I maybe, possibly, might have been developing feelings for her… mostly because I didn't tell her, but still she is not just challenging that she is also challenging my dignity. This is almost the daily routine but I guess that everyone eventually reaches a point where enough is enough.

"I mean it." I force myself to remain calm. She knows how to deal with yelling and insults. If I'm going to go through with this then I can't get sucked into her vortex of bickering; which usually ends up in me forgiving her or even apologizing on occasion. "I'm done with dealing with your crap every day. I can't take it anymore." Now it's your move, Puckett.

"Wait, what about the show?" She is getting indignant now. My mind knows that I'm winning… but my heart knows better. "Are you really gonna let down your _precious_ Carly?" Her tone is now biting. She thinks she has the upper hand.

Just remain calm. "No…I'm gonna do the show… but outside of the studio you won't see me." This wasn't entirely true. I mean, we do go to the same school and share a couple of classes. "We'll pass each other in the halls, we'll see each other in class… but as far as, you and I are concerned…" Here it comes. "You and I…" Sorry it had to be this way. "…are total strangers." Maybe I was a bit harsh. No… this has to be done.

Her face shows no pain. That is to be expected. She is moving the same as she always does. Her body language won't give her away.

One final look into her eyes…

Nothing, for the longest time they hold a "Sam" look, but just before she turns away I see a look of either regret, sorrow, or even pain.

Now even my mind has caught the message. I haven't won anything. But I wasn't doing this to win. For the first time, it isn't a competition, it's not a game, it isn't an argument or random debate; it is simply what has to be done. I regret it already… but it has to be done regardless of how much it's hurting both of us.

She's turned her back to me but shows no signs that she is crying. "Freddie…" Her voice is strong and confident it doesn't waver; it doesn't move at all. "…you _do_ need me… you'll see." Good ole reliable Puckett. I chuckle in disbelief. Defiant to the end, but I know the game she's playing, and to me this isn't a game. I know that there will be no winners. At least, not unless we both win. But that's a long shot at best.

The best I could realistically hope for is that we are both able to move on, and that is a losing tie, as far as I'm concerned. I'll miss her, no question about it, but something has to change. I can't live my life like this. Maybe this will open her eyes… maybe it won't… but either way something will change. It has to change because if she thinks this is a game then that losing tie is the best it'll ever be. The only hope that I have is that she hasn't turned around to face me. Her expression is readable right now and whatever it says, she doesn't want me to see it.

She stands there in the studio, she won't say anything else. I stare at her and I can't say anything else. That signifies that there is only one thing left to say. "Goodbye…Sam." My voice shook a little when I said her name. I don't think she noticed because she didn't move at all. I exit the studio. I don't close the door because I don't want to look back at her. If anything is going to change… this has to be done.

I head down the stairs and then I hear her voice again. "You know…" Against my better judgment, I allow myself to hope that the message has sunk in and this whole thing is ultimately unnecessary. I hope against all hope as I wait for her to say something… to do something… anything that tells me that I don't have to go through with this. "I don't know what you're trying to prove with this but if you think that I'm gonna break down without you, you're wrong. I've said it before… you need me and when you figure it out you'll come crawlin' back and when you do… maybe I'll forgive you… maybe." She jogs upstairs and slams the door. But not before giving me a smirk that I know all too well. A smirk that says, 'You lose Fredward.' Then reality sets in.

I release a sigh of sadness. It really is a shame that it has to be this way but I have to do this for our friendship. I can't live with all of the beatings and all of the pride killing taunts. I can't keep replacing all of my broken stuff and ruined clothes. I can't keep acting like I don't care about you. This has to change because, as far as the current state of our relationship goes, I just can't do it.

I walk past Carly who is hugging Spencer as he cries on the couch. "It's ok Spencer, it'll grow back." She says as she rocks him back and forth. I don't know what's so bad. It's just shorter but it's not a bad haircut at all.

Spencer continues to cry on the couch. "But it was so luxurious." Carly sighs in sadness.

"Bye Carly." I wave and head towards the door.

"See ya, did you patch things up with Sam?"

How do I answer that? It isn't over yet but if what she said was any indication of how she was going to react to this, then… "I don't know." With those words I disappeared to my apartment across the hall. I head to my bed room, past my screaming mother, and lean against the door.

"I just don't know."

* * *

So there you have it. I might've hit a bit of an angst-y note with this first chapter. It won't all be like this, however, I can't be all too certain when I will pick it up or at least give you guys a lil comic relief but it won't all be this angst-y. Promise.

That being said I don't think there is anything important that I left out. This was my first attempt at a first person story. Please tell me how I did, bcuz if it happens to be bad, I will turn the whole thing into a third person story.

That being said; thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read my humble little story. I hope ya'll enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
Review if you like (I hope you do) if not thanks anyway.  
Until next update or post  
Deuces  
KL21


	2. Game On

Yo, KL21 here. Remember when I said that I wanted to have more of the story done before I posted. Well here is the next part of the story. It's the last finished chapter I have. That means that another one may not be coming for a while. Sorry to say that but I am letting you guys know in advance. I just ask that you don't hold it against me. I still enjoy writing for you guys and I will continue to do so.

Now that the sad news is out of the way, I give you chapter 2 of Dangerous Game. Written in Sam's POV.  
Please read, enjoy, and review. Thank you.

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Game On

"… maybe I'll forgive you… maybe." I ran upstairs. Before re-entering the studio I gave him a smirk. He got this look like I had hit him with a ton of bricks… Hmmm…Note to self: find a way to get a ton of bricks.

I slam the studio door. I don't know what game he's trying to play but he's not gonna win. I'm Sam Puckett and I've never lost and I certainly don't plan to lose now. I know that he needs me. I mean who would look after the dork if I weren't around. I hope he didn't think that I was the only one that wanted to pick on him. If that nerd only knew; every jock, every "cool" kid, even some of the teachers… all of them seemed to want a piece of him.

I noticed this, a couple of years ago when I had snuck out of detention to meet Carly and Melanie at the Groovy Smoothie. I passed the teachers lounge and heard Ms. Briggs and Mr. Howard talking.

"_I hate all of my students. They keep saying that I eat pants." That had to be Mr. Howard. I know that was him eating that pair of pants. _

"_Me too. Do you know who I hate the most?" I listened only half interested since I was pretty sure it was me. "That Freddie Benson kid."_

My eyes widened. I was absolutely shocked. Why would any teacher hate Freddie? He was the teacher's dream. He always had homework, always had answers, never had snappy comments… he was the perfect student. I had to stay for an explanation.

"_He always has his homework and he always answers my questions correctly." She scoffed in disgust, "It makes me sick. I can't get him and he never does anything wrong so I can't give him detention."_

This was the absolute dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life and I've actually sat through one of Freddie's computer lectures.

"_I know and you know he's friends with that Sam Puckett so he's got to be a bad egg." Mr. Howard chimed in. I don't believe people still say bad egg. "I don't know how he's hiding it but mark my words… I will give Fredward Benson a detention."_

This was when I decided that I would make it my personal business to make the lives of two particular teachers quite miserable. I couldn't let all of them start to heap their ridicule on him he would be crushed. His fragile dork mind couldn't take it.

So during gym, when I over heard a prank attempt, I put a stop to it. When I heard a group of the "cool" kids talking about him I hit the nearest one in the stomach. 'Watch what you say about him. I've staked my claim on him and anyone moving in on my territory will be dealt with.' I stood up for him… sort of. Of course he didn't know about all of these things but to just cut off our friendship like that, if it was that easy for him… were we ever really friends.

I mean… he cut our friendship off over a girl, and it was Kayla Stevens. She isn't worth his time. She has a reputation for infidelity, amongst other things. He would just end up crushed and that was the very thing I was trying to prevent. If he were crushed it wouldn't be fun to fight with him anymore. I definitely couldn't let that happen. He's the only one that puts up any fight when I mess with him. Carly's skin isn't as thick as his so I can't make fun of her and that pretty much exhausts my supply of friends. But, I digress. Maybe I can keep my mind from wandering if I sit down. That bean bag chair looks pretty comfortable.

The point is that it wouldn't have worked between Kayla and Freddie. Not because no one would ever love him… he actually seemed quite lovable, real boyfriend material… for someone else. It wouldn't have worked because she is a girl of questionable morals and lack of a conscious. She made Jake cry!!! And she didn't even care!!!

Whatever Freddie does, he throws his heart behind it. So whoever he dated had to be approved by me because a hurt Freddie meant that I lost a fighting partner and he was the only one I had.

I thought that he threw his heart into our friendship. But if he could cut it off so easily. I was obviously wrong… right? He wouldn't just throw his heart away like that… right? Not that I had his heart in the first place… right? I don't even want his heart… right? Ugh!!! Stop thinking like that Puckett. I need some food.

Spencer is on the couch crying. His hair isn't that bad. He's being a baby and it's kind of annoying now. At first I felt sorry for him but it wasn't anything a good haircut couldn't fix. He got a good haircut and now he's just whining. Those Shays always overreact. I wonder if their parents are like this. Their dad probably is. I mean straight A's are great but come on… a forty inch Hi-Def plasma TV… I think you should get more than one report card of straight A's before you get something like that.

Crap! Their refrigerator's empty. "Carly what happened to all of your food?" She was hugging Spencer. He really should get over it.

"Sam, you've eaten all of our food and Spencer refuses to leave the house until his hair grows back." She turned back to her brother and started rubbing his back. "You'll have to wait until I calm him down and then we can go to the store." Aw man. Now I have to wait? Now he REALLY needs to get over it.

After Spencer cried for another hour about how luxurious his hair was, he went to sleep. Now we're _finally_ on our way to the store. I don't know what luxurious means but it sounds like the word luxury is in it and that means his hair doesn't _need_ to be long. I'll just ask Freddie… Oh. Come on Puckett straighten your face up before Carly notices. You know she has a sense for when you're upset.

"What's wrong Sam?" Aw Chizz, "You look like you just lost your best friend, which I know isn't the case because I'm right here." She plastered this sweet smile that I usually beat people up for giving me. It always seemed to comfort me when she did it. It's still sickening sometimes.

Still, sickeningly sweet smile or not, I had to find a way out of this. Didn't she make a vow not to get involved in any fights between me and Freddie? That is my best bet. "It's about the fight me and Freddie had…" I had to make it seem like I wanted to continue. Carly held one hand up.

Success.

"I'm sorry you're having trouble with Freddie but after what happened to Spencer I can't get in the middle of you two anymore." We came to a red light, "I want to, but I have to stay out of it…" She zoned out again and started to caress her own hair like she was making sure it was still there. "…for my hair's sake."

Something inside me wanted to argue against this because I can't have Carly acing this way over her hair. She would eventually turn into Spencer. "This argument isn't even over hair." The other one wasn't about hair either but I'm hoping that she's been so upset that she wouldn't remember what the infamous hair incident (that's what I'm calling it now) was caused by.

"Neither was the other one." Double Chizz, "Allow me to remind you what mundane little subject ended up in what has become the most traumatizing moment in mine and my brother's lives," we pulled into the grocery store, Sir Foods-a-lot, parking lot. However, Carly was upset and that meant that she would finish her statement. "I believe that the first thing I heard was you saying that 'Pluto deserved just as much respect as any other planet', now my brother has a breakdown once a week because… of … frickin… Pluto." She threw her best glare at me. Not bad for a beginner but it could use work.

"He's down to one a week?"

"Not the point."

"Sorry."

"The point is that he now has to see Gibby's therapist twice a week." She's getting better at this whole glare thing.

"Why Gibby's therapist? Doesn't Gibby give her enough to deal with?"

"He goes to Gibby's therapist because, _apparently_, she specializes in 'Sam' caused trauma." She throws another glare at me. This glare is almost a Freddie glare. In fact, the only difference is that Freddie isn't behind it.

"Well why don't we find him a date?" This should get him off his big crybaby butt.

"I'm listening."

"Well I'm thinking that if we find him a girl that likes his short hair then he will feel better about it not being so 'luxurious'." I put luxurious in finger quotes. Carly giggled and I sighed, inwardly, with relief. Crisis averted. Then my stomach growled, well at least one crisis was averted.

We finally entered the store and it just felt magical. I couldn't believe that I had gone so long without eating. Surely enough I found a bag of chips and paid for them and ate them outside of the store. Carly was with me because she decided that if I was going to eat her out of house and home the least I could do was help with the shopping. It seemed like a fair trade. So here we are outside of the store, people watching and trying to find a girl for Spencer.

"Sam..." Uh-Oh. I know that tone and that only means she is going to meddle. I thought I had avoided this. "What is going on with you two?" Let's see if I can get out of it this time.

"There's nothing going on between me and Spencer." Gross, I know. But I don't have a lot of options.

"Gross, Sam, not him. He's got like twelve years on you." I probably should've known that it wouldn't work but I was desperate. "I meant you and Freddie."

"He's just Chizzed because I told Kayla Stevens he had Herpes." I'm not ashamed of it. I had my reasons for doing it.

"Sam!?! You started that rumor?" She's overreacting again. "He was perfectly capable of getting rejected without your help." Now that I think about it… She's right. Freddie's right; maybe I should think things through a little bit before I act. Straighten up Puckett… "Sam?" Chizz. Chizz. Chizzety. Chizz-Chizz. "Seriously, tell me what happened." She means business this time.

I've got no choice now. "We fought about it for a while… then he said he was done."

"He's never announced the end of an argument before."

"No… He said he was done being… friends."

The look on Carly's face was for lack of a better word… flabbergasted, "What do you mean? He's not our friend anymore?"

"Just mine." If Carly's eyes bulge any further they might actually end up on the pavement.

"But what about…"

"He'll still do the show."

"but… what about…"

He just won't talk to me."

She took this as a sign to gather herself. "Sam the show isn't important. What matters is getting our friend back."

I can't believe what she is suggesting. Is she seriously suggesting that I go and crawl back to Freddie like I'm the one in the wrong? Not me… not Sam Puckett. I didn't start this little game of his but I will certainly finish it. "No."

"What do you mean no?"

"Look you know about Kayla Stevens just as well as I do. You saw Jake crying under the bleachers. You also saw Kayla and her lackeys laughing about at lunch. I did nothing wrong and I won't apologize for it. Heck, I don't even apologize for stuff that I know is my fault." She's upset but I'm serious this time. And no amount of sickeningly sweet smiling can change that. "He's overreacting and eventually he will get over it. He'll realize what he is without me and come crawlin back; begging me to forgive him." I will, I always do; it's just nice to see him squirm.

"But…" wait for it, "I mean…" here it comes, "fine." She sighs and it's over finally. She knows when she's beaten. Maybe we can finally go get something to eat.

Whatever game he decides to play is his business but when it involves me it becomes my business. And when a game becomes my business then I make it my business to win it.

"You know Sam… not everything is a game." What is she a mind reader, "and not every game has a clear cut winner and loser."

"What are you…"

"Just something to think about. For the time being I'm gonna stay out of it until you guys need me." There's an angle to this but I'm far too hungry to try to figure it out.

What did she mean by that? If one person wins the other person loses. It's that simple, at least it is with Freddie. Eventually he'll realize that he's lost and he'll be back, he always comes back. That's one reason I've always stuck around… he would always be there. No matter what I did… he was always there. How can he just _not_ be there now? It doesn't make any sense. That's another reason I know this is just some stunt he's pulling. It's not logical to just cut yourself away from something and if your heart is attached then it's almost impossible. Not that I have his heart… do I? I certainly don't want his heart… do I? Ugh… these thoughts again. I gotta get some food in me. "You ready Carls?"

"Sure let's go." She sure is chipper. Whatevs. The more upbeat she is, the less questions she has and that is fine with me.

Alright… you wanna play Benson, then, let's play but in case you've forgotten… Mama Plays to win.

* * *

So there we have it. Chapter 2 is in the books (no pun intended. (unless you thought it was funny)) tell me what you think.

I know my introduction sounded kinda confusing so I will explain. This is not the absolute final chapter. That would be cruel and quite unusual and that is unconstitutional. That being said I will not be updating again until I have a few more chapters finished. Sorry but it's the best way to keep the confusion out of my updating habits which, if gone unchecked, can get really bad. Sorry if I caused any confusion earlier but hopefully I've cleared it up.

Now for the part I call the wrap up. Again I would like to know how I'm doing with the first person. If you have any suggestions on who's POV the nest chapter should be on I'm always open to other's ideas. If you think the story's lame let me know, tell me what I could do to make it better or even to stop altogether. Or just leave general comments on the story (I'm really craving attention right now, for some reason.)

Regardless of my neediness, Review if you like (I hope you do) If not, thank you all for reading my story and I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
until my next update  
Deuces  
KL21


	3. Pause Cease Fire

Yo wat's good party people? Finally I have found a chance to update. It was looking pretty bad for a second I thought I had lost my flash drive with this story saved on it. I wanted to cry that's got the entirety of my school and fiction work on it. Luckily there were no tears, at least not until I beat up my brother for having it (jk I wouldn't hurt a fly) but I digress I give you chapter three of Dangerous Game

Please read, enjoy, and review. Thank you.

* * *

Pause/Cease Fire

**Sam's POV**

We walk the aisles and I fill the cart with my favorite foods. Good thing I just got paid because I had a feeling I was going to have to help out with the tab on this trip. On top of that there is still the task of finding a date for Spencer.

"What about the lady that works the register?"

"Sam!! She's like seventy five years old!!"

"Not the express lane." I shook my head at my friend's dramatics. "Register five."

"She's not bad but she does this weird thing with her eye." What weird thing is she talking about, "Haven't you ever noticed how her eye twitches. I saw it once; when she got in a fight with her boss." She shudders as she thinks about it, "that eye moved for fifteen minutes after the fight was over."

Ewww, "Okay what about…" As I scan the store I see our old teacher Miss Ackerman, "Carly look over there." I frantically tug on Carly's sleeve

"Don't pull my arm off Sam I'm right…" Her voice trails as she sights the slightly obsessed and extremely insane ex-teacher. "When did she get out of jail?"

"I don't know but I think we should hurry up and get out of here." We rush our cart to the check out counter. Darned grocery store. Why is it so crowded on a Thursday? Apparently I wasn't the only one who had just gotten paid. At this rate it is only a matter of time before…

"Hi Carly, Sam." Her tone is ridiculously cheery… especially for someone to be talking to the people responsible for sending her to jail. "It's been ages since I've seen you two… or anyone for that matter." Her voice grew darker on that last sentence.

"Sorry about that Ms. Ackerman, but it had to be done." Carly started off in some sort of explanation that I was sure was going to get one of us killed by this obviously, unstable woman. "You were giving Freddie a hard time and you made me and Freddie do Jumping Jacks and you made Sam wash your car and you kept calling me sassy and I'm not sassy just very opinionated and …" I had to stop Carly before she blew a gasket.

"Look here you crazy woman, we sent you to jail because you were getting on everyone's nerves. We're also quite certain that you may be clinically insane." I couldn't resist doing this to her I didn't like that woman at all. "I stand by my previous statement YOU… ARE… OFF… YOUR… NUT!!!" this garnered stares from the shoppers. They must think that I care that they are looking at me.

Surely enough in true crazy fashion she ignored everything I said and acted as if nothing was ever said at all. "So how has Spencer been since I've last seen him."

I look over at Carly and she frantically shakes her head with a look of fear plastered across her face. "He's been fine." I reply with a grin, "completely trauma free." It seemed like the appropriate thing to say except for the fact that it was a lie… but she didn't have to know that.

Our cart made it to the register. Carly quickly put everything on the conveyor belt. Ms. Ackerman continued to talk to me as if I were interested in anything that she had to say. "So has Spencer asked about me while I was gone?" Something was seriously wrong with this lady. Carly signaled that she was ready so it was time to end this tedious conversation.

"Look Ms. Ackerman… its some guys in black suits with badges on their…" Bingo.

"I'M NEVER GOIN BACK YA HEAR!! NEVEEEEEEEEEER!" She runs out of the store laughing like a maniac. What was even weirder was that at least ten other people also ran from the store. Priceless. Time to go and get me some food.

"That was close Eh Carls?"

"A little too close for my liking. Oh before I forget… You owe me $98.40 for your part of the grocery bill." What is she talking about?

"There's no way it's that much."

"Here." I take the evil slip of paper, "Take a look."

"I need a…"

"Here." The ever prepared Shay is holding out a calculator.

I punch in the numbers and… "Chizz, Chizz, a thousand times Chizz." I should've known it would be that high when I actually needed a calculator in the first place. Like I said it's a good thing I got paid.

"Wow Sam; the last time you were this upset was when you had to sit through Freddie's computer lecture." Yeah I still remember it. "If I remember correctly you vowed that day to never take another computer class in your life." I did, "and how many computer classes do you and Freddie have this year?" I was hoping she would've forgotten. What can I say? I didn't sleep through his lecture and it got me interested in computers. There's that sly smile she gets when she thinks she knows something.

"Two." This is why they're my friends. Freddie always fights back. Carly always wins. That silly smile is still on her face though. "What's so funny?"

"Nothin'." Maybe she does know something. I'm on to you Carly Shay.

"Let's go home. Mama's hungry."

"Ok, Ok, were going, were going." She giggles and leaves the parking lot. Finally. "Please try to make it last a little longer than a week."

"No promises kid. No promises."

* * *

**Freddie's POV**

I've been in my room for one hour… or two hours… I don't know. I don't really care.

Come on Freddie shake it off. I can't stay in my room forever but I gotta find something to do.

Is that a text message? Hm. It's from Gibby.

_YO-YO_

_Im throwin a party this weekend  
I need ur help  
Meet me at the groovy smoothie at 9  
_

_"DoinMyThang"_

What a strange signature. Ok I could get into that. Crap, I forgot; there's an emergency AV-club meeting at Shane's. Oh speak of the devil.

_Wat up_

_Had 2 cancel da meeting 2nite  
computer's busted_

_*UndercoverDork*_

Hm… that was weird. Oh well. Normal isn't exactly the way things go for me so I shouldn't be surprised. Ok. Aw man. It's already starting to get dark. My mom won't let me leave the house after dark if it doesn't concern school. Oh well… better tell Gibby I won't be able to… Who's this one from?

_Hi sweetie_

_Mommy's got to work late  
dinner's in the fridge  
tick lotion is on the counter  
remember to check yourself for leg hair  
I'll be back at 12_

_^^LuvMyFreddieBear^^_

Ok well looks like I'm in the clear just gotta make sure I don't run into… Don't tell me

_Hi_

_U'll never guess wat's happenin  
me and sam r stuck at the store  
we ran into ms ackerman  
she still insane_

_'DaPrissiest'_

Touché, magic cell phone. I'll ask Carly about that later, but as of right now I have to get outta here before they get home.

Where is Gibby? It's 9… There he is. I wonder how long before he takes his shirt off. It's just one of those certainties of High School. Where there's a geek there's a bully to torment him, as long as geeks exist; "cool" kids will have their homework, and Gibby, if he has a shirt on to begin with, will eventually lose it. This is, I suppose, the natural order of things. I don't question it because I'm not sure if I want to know the reason Gibby hates wearing his shirt.

"What's up Freddie, my man?"

"What's up Gibby?"

"Nothin man, just gettin this little shindig together." Shindig? "How bout we talk business over a smoothie?" Business? Wow, he's really taking this _shindig _seriously.

"Alright am I paying or you?"

"No worries my man I got it. YO T-BO!" He summons the waiter.

"What ya'll need?"

"I need my smoothie and Freddie will have…" He looks over at me,

"Umm… I don't know. What's new T-bo?" I ask the waiter.

"We have: Waterberry Wallop and Bangin' Banana-Berry Bash." They must be experimenting with berries this week. Last week the experimental fruit was mango.

"I'll try the Wallop."

"Cool I'll be back with your smoothies." The dreadlocked waiter left our table.

"So Gibby about your party…" I figure that while we wait we can get something done.

"Not until the smoothies get here Freddie." I quirk an eyebrow. "I work better with smoothie in my stomach." I can appreciate that.

"Ok, so tell me, how do you always have a smoothie reserved for you?" I had to know. Once there was a malfunction with the smoothie machine and all of the blenders. Nobody could get a smoothie. Then Gibby strolls in and yells. 'YO T-BO, YOU GOT MY SMOOTHIE?' Sure enough T-bo disappears and comes back with a large smoothie and hands it to Gibby.

"Well, I work as an official taste tester for the new smoothies. You made a good choice with the Waterberry wallop. The Banana-Berry Bash is a little heavy on the banana. Anyway, there's a clause in my contract that says that during business hours, normal or otherwise, a smoothie has to be ready whenever I want it. I'm limited to two smoothies a week." I've never heard of anything like that, that must've taken some pretty good negotiating to get a deal like that.

"Sounds like a sweet deal."

"True dat!" we bumped knuckles. Then T-bo comes back.

"Your smoothies will be ready soon. While you wait can I interest you in a pretzel? Only one dollar."

"No thanks." Wait for it.

"I sell you the whole stick… six fifty."

"Man will you… wait, six fifty?" that's weird "Why do these cost more than the bagels?"

"Took longer to make. So what's up man, we got a deal or not?"

"No, T-bo." That seems to have gotten rid of him, but he'll be back… He always comes back… He better come back I haven't gotten my smoothie yet.

"So Freddie…" Gibby's making small talk. I hope this isn't about… "… Word on the street is that you got herpes." Word on the street? Where is he getting this from?

"No Gibby that is a lie. Sam started that rumor and told Kayla Stevens." All Gibby can do is shake his head. When Sam is involved that's all anyone can do.

"Tough break man…" He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a card, "Here is my therapist's card. She specializes in trauma of the "Sam" kind." I took the card.

I don't really need therapy. For the most part, I can take most of what Sam dishes out. It was still a kind gesture though.

"Here are your smoothies." Finally now we can get this thing started.

I take a sip and decide to go first. "So you're throwin a party this weekend?"

"Yep."

"What's it for?"

"Well last Wednesday Jeremy bet me that I couldn't go a week without takin my shirt off. I accepted and now that it's over I'm celebratin'" I could understand that.

"Ok so what do you need me to do?"

"Well I'm going to need some tech stuff set up around the party. I figured that either you'd have it or you'd know somebody who could get it for me. "

"Well, if it's tech you want, I'm your guy." I know it sounds kind of arrogant but what can I say, I am the guy. "What do ya need?"

"Well I want this thing to be huge. I also want it to be memorable. I need lights, cameras, I got some guys building a stage and I need your AV connections to get the microphones, speakers, and amps, I can pay you and any others you will use, and you will be in charge. What do you say?"

Wow. This certainly is a lot just for an 'I get to go shirtless' party. "So all I'm supplying is: the camera equipment, the lights, and the sound equipment?" I should be able to get all of that stuff. "When would I be setting the whole thing up?"

"The stage will be done tomorrow by the time school lets out. You don't have any classes after lunch do you?"

"No."

"Good then we'll start after lunch tomorrow."

"Okay I just gotta send for some help and check on the sound equipment."

_Hey_

_We got a job  
we'll need 2 use ur van and  
we also gotta get Jeremy and Wesley_

_$TechMasterFreddie$_

Now we wait, Hold on… "Where did you get enough money to pay all of these people?"

"I've got taste testing jobs all over the city and they all have free food clauses so I save a lot of money on food." Gibby has this thing set up pretty nicely. Gibby is a negotiating genius… that's where all of his brain power goes. What's taking him so long to…

_Wat up_

_Ok  
just let me know when u need the stuff  
I can get Jeremy but Wesley lives closer 2 u_

_*UndercoverDork*_

Ok looks like we're all set.

_Hey_

_We begin setup tomorrow after lunch  
Meet at Gibby's house.  
c u then_

_$TechMasterFreddie$_

"Ok Gibby we're all set Just one more thing…" Gibby now has his shirt off and he's rubbing his body against the display case. "Gibby what are you doing?"

"My thaaang." Oh… that explains his signature. It's still strange though.

"Gibby we should discuss payment."

"I've got a better idea…" He returns to the table. "How about I pay you after I see your work?"

"I can live with that but there will be a slight fee for gas and transportation of our equipment."

"What do you guys normally get?"

"Well, usually we have to travel far to get to where we have to go but since you live closer I'm thinking that 150 should cover it and if you're unsatisfied with our work we'll give everything that wasn't used for gas. Since we don't have to travel that far to get to your house the money you'll receive as a refund would be substantial."

"Freddie you got a deal." We shake hands and make it official. "T-Bo, kick up the tunes." In true Gibby form he hops up on the table and starts to dance."

I think I'm gonna go ahead and pay for my smoothie anyway.

I relish this moment, it's the first business meeting that any of us have attended on our own. It's almost surreal. Its 11 o'clock I should get home. It's been a long day. At least it wasn't all bad.

"Sure you don't want a pretzel?" Man you gotta admire his persistence.

"You know what? I'm gonna take you up on that offer."

"Whole stick six fifty." I hand him the money and he gives me the stick of pretzels.

As I walk home with a stick of pretzels I'm left to review my day. I may have lost the entirety of any hope I ever had for a social life. I may have just pushed one of my best friends away from me forever. I just got our tiny little production company the biggest job it's ever had. Now I'm headed home, but as I walk home with my stick full of pretzels I can't help but think that this was a nice break from this mess I've gotten myself into.

But I see her… my tormentor, my plague, my own personal demon, and as I see her walk off and look in my direction… It hits me.

As nice as the break was, that's all it was… a break, and at this very moment when our eyes meet, when I walk away from her, when I keep myself from looking back at her, when I feel her eyes as she watches me, when I feel a tear form in my eye, and I feel the hot stinging stream that the aforementioned tear leaves as it rolls down my face, I know that the break's over.

* * *

Well there you have it. I won't take up too much of your time, just a couple of notes.

I always felt that Gibby would be the type to throw a party simply because he was able to be shirtless even further to the point that he would do it simply because it gives him an excuse to be shirtless. So being a fanfic writer, I've projected my thoughts into my story.

I wrote this a day before they aired iSpeed Date where I live. To my complete and utter surprise my suspicions of Gibby being and "undercover mack" turned out to be true. Go figure so I will eventually work that into my story too. That might be in one of these filler type chapters but I'm still undecided as to where I'm gonna put it. I just thought it was funny that one of my suspicions turned out to be true.

Thank you guys for reading my story. Review if you want to (I hope you do), if not thanks for reading anyway I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it

Until next post (update), Deuces  
KL21


	4. Rules of Engagement

YO this is KL21. good news I got no school today so I was able to post the next chapter a lil earlier than I expected to. Someone requested Freddie's view on the situation so here it is. I must give you a fair warning this chapter may move a lil too slow for its length but future chapters will get better.

Now that I've gotten that outta the way I present you with chapter four of Dangerous game Please read, enjoy, and review thank you.

* * *

Rules of Engagement

**Freddie's POV**

Ok Freddie it's time to start the first day of this mess. Maybe it's better if I don't count the days. There isn't any set time limit. As a matter of fact, this thing between us could go on forever.

No Freddie, don't think like that. In any case I gotta get to school.

I have two computer classes with Sam and that's gonna be weird for me. It was already weird enough that she was in the computer class in the first place. I distinctly remember her saying that she would never take another computer class as long as she lived. She decided to take a computer class as one of her electives and the teacher asked me to come in and do a lecture on hard drives and the difference between hardware and software. Sam had to be woken up twice, although, I'm pretty sure she was faking it just to throw me off.

Well here goes nothing.

Alright Freddie… here we go. I came here a little early so that I could get to my locker without running into Sam. No use in making this harder for myself. Thank God I finished most of my classes. That means a lot of light lifting for me. Ok that's the last book and I'm off to class. Just in time too, there starting to get here.

"Why are you here so early?"

Oh my God. I failed? Already? It's just the beginning and I'm already compromised. Compromised by this kind, gentle, sweet… Wait. Kind? Sweet? Gentle? Phew, its only Carly. But Sam might be here too.

"Sorry Carly, I'll have to talk to you later, I'm running late." Hopefully that'll confuse her enough or me to make my escape.

"Late for what?" Crap, "It's 7:45 in the morning."

"Well…" what to say…what to say… "… You can never be too early for learning." Hopefully she'll buy that.

"Sam's not here yet." Oh at least it's safe.

"I'm here to avoid Sam, as you've already figured out, you see, Sam and I had a…"

"I know about your argument already."

"Sam told you already, huh?"

"Yeah." Uh-Oh. She's thinking about something, "Don't you think you may be overreacting just a little?"

"No Carly, I have to do this."

"Why Freddie? You know she's isn't going to apologize for anything."

"That may be, but I have to take a stand. It's been long overdue." I hate to make Carly upset. She may not be a crush anymore but she's still my friend, "Besides, there is still a chance that this will work."

"What are you trying to prove Freddie?" I can't answer that, "You'll just end up losing a friend."

"What kind of friend does the things she does to friends?" Finally, the bell is ringing. "I gotta go to class."

"We both know that's not true Freddie. You have absences to burn. Please stay and talk to me." God help me, I can't stand to see her upset.

"Look Carly, I know the risks all to well but I can't take much more of it. You can't understand because she doesn't do horrible things to you. She's never licked your phone, or tried to break your arm."

"Freddie… I…" She has nothing else to say. Sam is inexcusable. "Freddie, you and I are really good friends but, Sam is my best friend. You know that if this ends badly I'll have to…"

Rule number one: Make sure you know ALL of the risks

"I know…" She's right, Sam can't be trusted to be by herself and it wouldn't be right to force her to choose between the two of us. "Like I said before, I know the risk I'm taking and the reward is far better than any other outcome."

"Hold on a minute… You're willing to let me go for a chance to have a better friendship with Sam?" She's smiling? I've seen that smile before, but I can't remember where.

"Yeah I…" What's with that smile on her face? It's like she has this big secret and doesn't want to tell me. Oh… I know what that smile is. She thinks… well I gotta put a stop to that… even if it may be true. If Carly thinks that, then it's only a matter of time before she starts to meddle, and I don't know if there's any force more unstoppable than a meddling Carly Shay. "I know what you're thinking Carly, and trust me, it's not like that." I know it really is, but she doesn't have to know that. "I just need a change." That smile is still there, I don't like the look of it. "What's so amusing?"

"Nothin…" the smile stays for awhile but it slowly stars to fade. "Well, I understand how you feel so I'm not going to interfere. Just keep in mind what's at stake." It is a lot but I'm hoping that it'll be worth it. "You should get outta here before Sam shows up."

"Thanks Carly." That was pretty heavy. The hold she has on me isn't "love," at least, not anymore. Now it is this weird ability of hers to make someone feel guilty regardless of their convictions.

Rule number two: Limit contact with friends of the enemy.

* * *

First period goes well, mostly because Sam's not there and I need all the time I can get to prepare myself for this. Now were on to second period. I'm gonna have to switch seats with somebody because me and Sam sit next to each other. "Wendy, can I ask you a question?" She seems like my best bet. She seems to be able to tolerate Sam and I doubt that Sam would do anything… _horrible_ to her.

"Sure Freddie what do you need?"

"Do you think that it would be possible if we could…" what's with the look on her face?

"I'm so sorry Freddie but I don't want to go out with you." Is she serious?

"No, no. Nothing like that."

"Oh."

"I was wondering if you would switch seats with me."

"Sure… but why?" I don't think there's any harm in telling her.

"Sam and I had a huge fight and we're not on speaking terms."

"Ok… well maybe if you tell me more about it I could maybe help you guys smooth things out."

"Uh… thanks but no thanks. I'm not giving in this time." I'm not. She has to change and any other outcome is unacceptable, because all other outcomes end up with me apologizing. That leads to things staying the way they were.

"But, communication and compromise is the foundation of any relationship." She has a point, "if you can't talk and reach some sort of agreement then the relationship won't last." Man, she sounds like she's coming straight out of one of those relationship books. She's right though. But what she didn't know was that Sam and I were long past the point of communicating. Any attempts at communication ended up in arguing which led to physical and emotional pain, mostly my physical and emotional pain. And Sam's version of compromise is that we do things her way or no way at all. I know she's just trying to help but she doesn't know enough about me or Sam.

Rule number three: Limit the advice you take to people who understand your situation. Unfortunately for me that leaves me with Carly and contact with her is in direct violation of rule number two.

"Ok thanks Wendy, but all the help I need right now is the switch in seats." I hope I didn't come off as rude.

"Ok, well if you ever wanna talk…"

"Thanks Wendy." Well I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell her, "Hey, umm, how about I tell you about it over lunch?" As convicted about this as I was it was still uncharted territory for me and I figure that it's better not to be alone.

Rule number four: establish new contacts if old ones are unavailable.

"Sure thing Freddie, meet me in the cafeteria."

* * *

Ok so far so good. I've made it half way through the class. It helps when you already know what the teacher is teaching. The annoying thing is I've been getting hit with paper balls and spit balls all day. There's no need to turn around. I already know the source. But I can't acknowledge it. If I turn around now I'll have lost a battle, make no mistake, this is a battle that Sam Puckett is waging and the moment she has my attention the argument will soon follow and that would only make things worse.

Rule number five: know your strengths and weaknesses.

So, second period is mercifully over. I don't expect it to get any easier but at least I know that I am able to go through with this. I don't know how long, but I can do it for the time being. I expect that third period will be much the same as the first was. But that's a good thing. I suppose that the fact that she is trying to get my attention means that she is feeling something at my absence. I'm not sure what that something is but I'm hoping it's a good something.

Well, there's the bell. Off to third period which I also share with Sam.

* * *

So here I am in third period and I can't focus anything the teacher is saying. I don't really need to, but anything is better than thinking about what this mission of mine to try to get Sam to change.

I mean was it really so bad? She did apologize once, although, that was probably because Carly made her feel bad about it. She certainly didn't change anything after that. I probably should've expected hat, since she basically told me that she wasn't going to change. To that effect, is any of this worth it then? Am I just wasting my time, and risking two friendships on it? Does it mean anything that she has been at least trying to get my attention? What did the teacher just say? Why should I care what he just said? I could probably teach this class if weren't for my blond tormentor sitting in the back of the class. I guess I'm left to my thoughts. I can't just completely ignore her. If I do that then she will give up and stop trying. Could she forget about me completely? Could I live with myself knowing that I threw everything? Maybe Carly was right, maybe I did act out of anger. Hey I've got an IM request from Sam. Accept.

HammySammy85: YO Fred-dork. Wat's the deal?

TechTouch35: Wat do u mean?

HammySammy85: Y hav u bn ignorin me

TechTouch35: I already told u.

HammySammy85: yea I 4got. Wat u tell me?

TechTouch35: I'm done. I was tryin 2 salvage wat I could

HammySammy85: ...

TechTouch35: now its clear that u don't care.

HammySammy85: wateva dork u still need me

TechTouch35: we'll c

HammySammy85: yea

HammySammy85: has signed off

Now I'm staring at the computer screen. I can't believe it. I read the message over and over again. Did she really just. I read it once again and again and again, hoping that the messages would change, that what their meaning changed… but no matter how many times I read those messages nothing changed. No matter how much I wanted the computer screen to bring my soul some sort of relief and tell me that I got the wrong messages the screen name kept reading 'HammySammy85'. Those messages weren't changing, they weren't going anywhere, and they were all screaming the same thing. Screaming louder than a sell out crowd: There's no turning back.

* * *

I'm not going to my fourth period. I need to clear my head. I wish I had enough time to get to the fire escape. On second thought, that might not be the best place to clear my head of Sam-related thoughts. I'll just drive around 'til lunch.

I can't believe it. Just like that I'm on my own. I never realized how interconnected all of my friends were. Because Sam was gone I couldn't talk to Carly because she would end up making me feel guilty about this whole thing with Sam. I can't talk to Spencer because he's connected to Carly. I can't talk to any one in the AV club about it because Sam knows that I talk to them, and in the event that she decides to care about it, she'll go and (Successfully) extort and/or extract the information out of them. I can't talk to any one at the school because today, for some reason, a lot of them have been giving me weird looks. Like I was a deer that had just come from behind the bushes and they were hunter with their scopes set right between my eyes. I'm hoping that my mind is playing tricks on me. But another part of me knows that something bad is going to happen.

But I've got bigger fish to fry. From the sound of mine and Sam's conversation, if you can call it that, it seems as if she's content to ride this whole thing out and wait for me to go crawlin back to her. So I've got to change the way I approach this.

Rule number six: always be able to adapt to any changes, foreseeable or otherwise.

* * *

Ok time to go get Wendy. I'm not altogether proud of what I'm going to ask her to do but if there is a chance that it will get to Sam then I'm willing to give it a shot. I just hope this doesn't blow up in my face.

"Hey Freddie I've been looking all over for you."

"Yeah, sorry, I had a lot on my mind and an absence to burn so I went for a ride to try to clear my head." I wonder how she'll take this. There's no need to jump in head first Freddie. Take your time. "So, where would you like to go for lunch?"

"Ummm… How 'bout Inside-Out Burger?"

"Ok, Burger joint it is."

We got there, ordered our food, and decided to sit in and eat. Ok Freddie eventually you're going to have say something. Ok I should start by explaining the situation. After all, I said that I would. "Ok… How was class?" It would be rude to start dumping my mess on her without asking about her first.

"It was ok. You know, with the year winding down nothing big happens… at least not until Sam pulls her annual-end-of-the-year prank." She chuckles but I totally forgot about that. Every Year Sam pulls a prank on some unsuspecting victim. Now I will have to be extra careful. Since we aren't speaking and Carly isn't interfering, that means that I'm just as likely to be a victim as anyone else at the school. "This one should be really big seeing that it's our senior year." Oh my God, "I would certainly hate to be on Sam's bad side during this time of year." This is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. She stopped talking. It looks like she is confused. "Speaking of Sam… don't you usually eat lunch with her?"

"Yeah, well we're fighting."

"So what? Aren't you guys always fighting?"

I went on to explain the whole thing to her. Reliving those moments was rough. It was that much harder since it just happened yesterday. Whatever I feel for Sam and what she feels for me may be up in the air. But one thing was certain, she was my friend and losing a friend is always painful no matter what they did to you. Of course I don't think I've lost her yet, otherwise I wouldn't be going through all of this nonsense to win her back.

"Wow, Freddie, that's pretty heavy." This is kind of an awkward silence, as she starts to write something down on a napkin, "Well I'm going to assume hat you haven't told many people about it." I haven't besides Carly and that doesn't even count because she already knew. "Well if you need any one to talk to just give me a call or shoot me a text." She hands me the napkin that she was writing on. It has her number on it. I put it in my pocket. I decide not to tell her what I wanted her to do. It would just be me using her and she doesn't need to be dragged into this. Besides she has already extended her friendship, or at least a shoulder to lean on. God only knows how deep into this thing she has already put herself in. Who's that?

_Wat up my man_

_I'm at my house waiting for you  
guys to set up.  
c u n a lil bit._

_$$DoinMyThang$$_

Whoa, I almost forgot about the party. That would've been very unprofessional. "OK Wendy I got to go and help Gibby with something. Do you need a ride to the school?"

"No." good because I don't really have time to go back to the school and then make it to Gibby's house, "But do you think you give me a ride home?"

"Sure" I'm going to be late. "And… thank you for listening." She really didn't have to, but like I said earlier, it's nice to have someone.

"Any time Freddie." She places a hand on my shoulder and looks at me with this overly sweet face. It gives me a warm feeling. I've never really paid attention to it before but Wendy is pretty cute. I've gotta send Shane and Gibby a text telling hem I'm going to be late.

_Hey_

_I'm gonna b a lil late  
gotta drop a friend off  
then I'll be there_

_#TechMasterFreddie#_

"Ok are you ready to…" I turn my head to the door and I see the absolute last thing I want to see… Sam… in all her wonderful and fear inducing glory. She looks at me and we share a look of confusion. I see her gaze shift from me to Wendy and back to me and her confusion turns into one of disbelief. Her disbelief evolves into anger. It may not be apparent to any one working in the place, or even to Wendy, but I know this girl standing across the restaurant. I can see through her well rehearsed poker face and that nonchalant expression. I can see past the boredom in her eyes. I look over to Wendy and by the look on her face it looks like she knows that something is awry. I can feel it too. I've stopped focusing on the situation and observed my surroundings. It feels as if there is a heavy force just pressing down all of your insides without crushing your body allowing you to suffer through whatever it is you suffering through.

It's hard for me to feel it because Sam has been giving me this feeling since we've met. I'm almost immune to the feeling. I really felt sorry for Wendy. I doubt she's ever felt something like this before, and even if she has, it's even more unlikely that what she felt was this heavy. Think of it as if you were standing in the middle of a pride of hungry lions that were just walking around you in circles. That's what it feels like. You know the surroundings and you know the situation. You know the eventual outcome but something's off. That tiny bit of uncertainty is what's going to cost you your life. It'll cause you to make a wrong move and before you know it a wild Sam has pounced on op of you and is now sinking her teeth into your jugular and you're slowly dying as she begins to devour you. I'm used to this but I feel sorry for Wendy. I have to do something or she'll be devoured.

Rule number seven: Do not confront the enemy until you are completely sure you're ready. Any rushed confrontations will result in certain death.

"What are you doing here Puckett?" I'm a dead man.

* * *

Well there you have it. I hope that wasn't too slow for you guys I'll try to pick it up in the future chapters. The line breaks (I belive the document manager refers to it as a horizontal ruler) in the story indicate a time jump. In this particular case they represent A change in the class. I can't really think of anything else that needs to be said. If you have any questions then you can leave me a review or a message.

That being said, thank you guys for taking the time to read my story. Review if you like (I hope you do). I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
Until next update Deuces.  
KL21


	5. The Last Straw Crossing the Rubicon

Hey iCarly peoples. This is KL21 bringing you the next chapter of my story.

Theis chapter is, basically, two relatively long flashbacks with very limited dialogue and a lot of introspection (I think that's a word). I suppose it is just a chapter full of back story. That means that this chapter is also a little slow. Sam's part flows pretty well, I think, but Freddie's part might be a little choppy. If it is, I offer my apologies now.

Just so there's no confusion, this story takes place during their senior year and the flash backs happen during their junior year. Freddie's flashback takes place a week after Sam's flashback.

I changed the title to War Games because I felt the previous title only spoke to Sam's view of the situation (A game). This titile illustrates that both sides will have an equal part in this story (at least that's the goal). It also show how both characters see the situation. Freddie = War while Sam = Game. that was for those of you who actually cared.

Without further ado (which really was about nothing) I present to you the fifth chapter of the newly titled War Games. Please Read Enjoy and Review Thank you.

* * *

Recap: Freddie is out at lunch with Wendy and Sam has found them. What action will she take? What reaction will Freddie have?

The Last Straw/Crossing the Rubicon

**Sam's POV**

I don't believe what I'm seeing. That looks like Freddie. That guy has the same brown hair, same dorky clothes, same dorky face, and the same dorky expression of sheer dorky terror upon the aforementioned face. Yep, that's definitely Freddie. But what's he doing with Wendy? When did he leave the school? What's he doing with Wendy? Why has he been ignoring me all day? Why is he with Wendy? What was that whole, IM chat about? WHY IS HE HERE WITH WENDY!?!

"What are you doing here Puckett?" There must be some other Puckett in here. Some different Puckett that he would work up the gall to talk to like that, because no one, and I mean NO ONE, speaks to this Puckett like that. Not unless they have a death wish… or an aneurism.

Look at Wendy. She's so afraid. She's trying her best to hide it but I can see through her shoddy façade. I see the sweat forming on her brow. I normally only get like this when I'm about to wail on someone. I have no such intentions but my heart is racing. My hands are starting to clench tighter, to form into my powerful fists. Tiny as they may be, they are more than enough for mama to use on her victims; unsuspecting and suspecting victims alike. After blinking my eyes, they are more focused and I can almost see the creases in their fear stricken faces regardless of how they try to hide them. My breaths become shallow as I prepare for the chase, for the excitement, for the thrill… but it'll never come. It all comes crashing down as I realize that the thrill I was anticipating would not be coming today and may never come again.

I look for it. I look for that gleam in Freddie's eye, the gleam that promises me my one true test. Just because I always win the argument doesn't mean that he doesn't put up a good fight. He always fights and he is the only one who can. I search his brown eyes for something, anything that gives me an opening. I'm desperate for that gleam; I'm hungry for that gleam; I crave that gleam in his eye. Why won't he give it up? Come on Freddie show me that gleam.

Wendy is giving me all kinds of invitations to rip her apart but she is not the prey I seek. She is nothing but a zebra but Freddie is the wildebeest. He's easier to catch but harder to kill. But He leaves me no opening. All of my senses are alert and all of them are trained on Freddie. He's reaching for something. Get ready Sam. He grabs…Wendy's hand. He's smiling at her? That used to be the smile he gave me. Wait is she… She's Smiling Back!!!

No fight's coming; but my senses don't gradually descend… no… they plummet as I come crashing back to reality. It all happens so fast I get a little dizzy. I close my eyes to regain my composure but when I open them back up… They're gone. He left.

I slowly make my way to the counter. "Ma'am? May I take your order?"

"Uhh…Ahh… Just a number six please."

How dare he just blow me off like that? If he's this serious then it's time for me to get serious too. This place was sacred to us; at least I always thought it was. Ever since that day last year…

_The bell rings; signaling the beginning of my favorite part of the school day. Not that there were any other parts that I did like. Freddie had gotten his license earlier that year and had just got a car from his dad. _

"_Hey Fred-nub…" Maybe it was a risk insulting him when he just got his car but hey if I stopped at every risk I wouldn't be the Sam that stands here today. "Take me out to lunch." Yeah, like I'd actually ask for food. When have I ever asked for food? Exactly so why should I start now. _

"_Sam, can I at least enjoy my car before you ruin it with your unbridled evil?" Awww. I should hit him for saying that but he looked like he was trying so hard. I guess I could let it slide… just this once. However, I still want my lunch so the stare-down commences. We lock eyes for another round of Sam v Freddie: staring edition. He furrows his brow and I furrow mine in response. He pulls a sneak attack and tries rising his eyebrows. Just because that works on some of those weak girls he's dated, doesn't mean that they'll throw me. _(I've spent the greater part of middle school and all of high school around those dorky eyebrows so I am immune to them.)._ His brow creases with frustration as he realizes that his tactic is failing. He quickly tries to correct his expression, but it's too late, nothing gets past me when food is at stake. I've seen a chink in his armor and now it's all over but the crying. I narrow my eyes and increase the intensity and my stare turns into a glare. He tries valiantly to regain his former stare but he has lost. I know it, and now… "Fine let's go," …so does he. No one keeps mama from her food. _

Maybe I could lure him into another stare-down and try to end all of this mess. Although this time, between you and me, the eyebrows might actually work this time. I wonder if that's how he got Wendy to come to lunch with him. It had to be. Blasted eyebrows.

_The ride to the first fast food joint we went to was uneventful. We went to some new place. The food was so bad that I didn't even commit the place to memory. Of course Freddie loved it. He did this to get back at me. Well played Benson, but I can't allow myself to be outplayed by a dork… not ever. Freddie smirks at me and hit him on the shoulder. While it was a little harder than a playful punch in the shoulder, it wasn't as bad as he made it out to be. He's such a baby. After a few more of those "more than playful" punches to the arm he finally agreed to take me to inside-out burger. When we get to the burger joint he takes his sweet time sittin down. I'm hungry so I kick him and he falls into his seat. _

"_You know, Sam, if you continue to abuse me like this, I'm gonna disappear."_

"_No you won't, Fred-lib." Who's he think he's kidding?_

I guess the joke's on me.

"_You're probably right."_

"_What're you talkin about Nub-son" I was not expecting that answer. Here I am all set to make a scene _(Which, by the way, would've officially christened this as our spot since any scene we cause seems to keep others away. We, once, cleared out a whole aisle in Sir-Foods-a-Lot.)_ and he gives me the answer I wanted right away. _

"_Well, despite all of the trauma you've caused me over the time I've known you…" There's that smirk again. I don't care who you are that smirk can charm anyone… almost anyone. Not Carly, and certainly not me. But I'd be lying if I told you that my attention was never grabbed by that smirk. The only person immune to that effect seems to be Carly. Sucks for you, nub. What's with the long dramatic pause? I hate when people start a sentence before they're actually ready to finish the sentence. Or have I just not been paying attention? Crap, "Sam... Are you even listening to me?"_

_Oh crap. Come on Sam give me an excuse… Ah-ha, "Sorry… I was just lost in this burger." Whew... the smirks back crisis averted. _

I wonder why that excuse always works.

"_Oh. Well allow me to repeat myself." Normally I wouldn't but I was actually interested in this answer. "Despite all of the trauma you've caused me over the years, I consider you to be one of my closest friends." Oh my God. I think I'm actually touched. "Heck, you and Carly are my best friends. Besides all of the girly places I go to with you guys, I love hangin out with you." What did he say? His eyes widened so he probably realizes what he just said, "The…the both of you." Awww, he's stammering. _(Between me and you I thought it was kind of cute… in a way puppy chasing his tail sort of way.)._ I'll just keep this one deep in my pocket for a rainy day._

That was the first time he acknowledged me as his best friend, or anything other than his sworn enemy, for that matter. I thought that meant something to him. I thought that _I_ meant something to him. I thought that he would realize what happened in this place on that day. I thought that he would think that this burger joint was a special place… our place. Again, I suppose the jokes on me.

I never paid much attention to the conversation that we had. I just hung on to the overall tone of the conversation 'I'll never disappear'. Throughout the entire conversation, that's what he said. I suppose that I always was a little bit more confident because I always knew that I had someone to go to if I went too far and Carly got too mad at me or didn't understand. I mean, she was pretty upset at the hair incident and she didn't talk to me or Freddie for three days. He was there and he convinced me that I had to at least try to look at it from her point of view. I guess I sorta owe my friendship with Carly to the dork. While thinking about that conversation something else stood out. He said that he loved hanging out with… me.

I decided to take a psychology class this year, because the stupid guidance counselor says that I should start to focus on my post- High School life and education. But, anyway, in the class we talked about something called a Freudian slip. It's when your unconscious mind makes you say something without meaning to say it. Apparently it is supposed to reveal your true desires that you have repressed. I can't say for sure whether or not he is repressing anything. But when I think of his response it certainly seemed like he had tread into uncomfortable territory. I'll probably keep this in my pocket for further observation. Not that I actually care or anything. I just have this general curiosity about… stuff.

The fact is he said he liked hangin out with me. If were the case, then why would he throw it all away? OK I know why, but how could he do it so flippantly. It was like he never really cared in the first place. Well if he's willing to throw it all away then so be it. He can have Wendy. For that matter, he can have the Valeries and the Shannons and even… even the Carlys. But, mark my words: he will be back and, this time, I don't even know if I'll be able to forgive him for this.

**Freddie's POV**

What have I done?

"Freddie, are you ok?" Wendy's voice registers as nothing more than white noise.

I can't feign ignorance. I know why she was so mad.

"Freddie what was that about?" My ears receive the words, but my mind can't process their meaning. Again it is nothing more than the din of chatter in a full cafeteria.

I honestly didn't think about where I was going, or what I was doing, or who I was doing it with. I think I just unleashed the unbridled wrath of Sam Puckett. The total range of her anger is unknown. However, I do know the immediate targets. The worst part is that Wendy is now a part of this and she didn't know a thing. The poor unsuspecting victim; a role she has been forced to play due to my short-sightedness and all around stupidity.

The more I admit that to myself the more I die on the inside. I hate having to say she's right. Saying she's right is the same thing as saying that I'm wrong. If I'm wrong then I can't be right, and I love to right. I'm a guy and all guys love to be right.

"Freddie," how do I even begin to explain it, "Freddie?" I mean, I barely understand it myself. "Freddie the light's green." Oh. That was a long light.

"Sorry." Wendy'll never want to hang out with me again. I can't blame her, and in all honesty, it's probably the best thing for her. I am Sam's number 1 enemy. That means that myself and anyone associated with me is in extreme and immediate danger.

"Freddie, what was that about?" I wanna avoid this conversation but I know that it is a necessary one. "Was it just me or was that scene a lot more intense than it needed to be?" it was and I know why. I just hope you don't hate me when I find out why.

"Yeah, it was intense." well here goes nothing. "Listen, that place used to be… is a special place to me and Sam. I shouldn't have taken you there and if I had been thinking clearly I wouldn't have. That has nothing to do with you. You are a very nice person and I appreciate you listening to me." Well the hard part is over, "but I think it'd be best if we don't hang out. As much as I need help, it isn't right of me to pull anyone else into this mess that I'm in." Why does she look so dejected?

"Ok…" is her voice shaking, "I understand." Why is she staring at the floor? "Maybe I could…" I know where this is going.

"Promise me you won't talk to Sam." This is for her safety. "If you are going to talk to Sam just apologize for being out with me. Tell her the whole thing was my fault and bring her a peace offering of jerky or Fatcakes. Or ham, ham is always the safe bet." I can't help but smile at this. "And, if you can work it in, call me a dork or a nerd. She likes that. You don't want to be pulled into the end of the year prank."

I look over at her. I don't think she's moved at all since I've started talking. "Freddie…" She looks up at me. I was worried that she may have been crying but looks like there was nothing to worry about. "You really are a sweet boy." She leans over and gives me a peck on the cheek. I pull up to her house and she gets out of her car. I decided to walk her to the door. I know it's not dark out but it's a habit. "Thanks again for the ride home, Freddie. And you're wrong." Wrong again? What am I wrong about this time? "I think that you should've taken me there." She was officially insane. My Sam induced insanity has corrupted Wendy's mind. "Sam may have been unhappy about it but she isn't completely innocent. I've seen what she does to you and honestly she is lucky to have a friend who is as sweet as you." She pauses although I'm pretty sure it was just for some sort of dramatic effect. "Any girl would be lucky to have a guy a sweet as you." She places a hand on my shoulder and looks at me sweetly for a while. I try to read her expression but before I can discern anything from them she enters her house.

That was nice of her to say but I know better. That place isn't just special to Sam. It's special to me too. That was where I realized that I liked Sam. It wasn't a matter of Carly being unavailable. It was my conscious decision to say 'I would rather be with Sam'. It was a matter of my heart and mind battling it out. My mind wanted Carly. Carly was the logical choice. I could get together with her and nothing would change. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and it rarely knows why it wants what it wants. My heart finally won that day in the burger joint.

_Last week I told Sam that I loved hanging out with her. When I saw the look on her face I quickly reviewed my choice of words and realized what I said. I think I covered myself pretty well but I have to avoid that type of thing from now on. _

_I don't even know where that came from. One moment I'm eating lunch with Sam because Carly had something else to do. The next thing you know I'm practically telling her that I love her. Ok so maybe that is a bit of an over statement, but give me a break, this is very traumatizing. She is my sworn enemy even if she is my best friend… one of my best friends. Great it's lunch time again that means… "Hey Fred-stain. Where're we goin for lunch today?" You know, if I'm going to be driving her around and wasting my gas that I know she won't replace the least she could do is use my real name. _

"_when did I become your designated driver?"_

I knew when it happened. It happened when I gave in and gave her a ride the week before. I knew it and she knew it but it didn't matter. While the outcome isn't set in stone it is the most likely outcome.

"_Do you really wanna go through this again Benson?" at least she used my real name this time. _

_My only response is a glare directed at her. Let the game begin. Our eyes meet and the preliminary reading begins. She stares into my eyes. All I can hope for is that she doesn't see my resignation. Her look hasn't changed so that's a good thing. I search for anything I can use against her. Her eyes give nothing away. I swear that one day I will be able to look past that poker face she wears so well. Just out of curiosity I want to know what lies behind it. I want to know what is going on in the recesses of her mind or maybe even into her soul. I just hope that I don't get consumed by the darkness that I may find there. I haven't been paying attention to the staring match that is currently taking place. When I focus back on her eyes I am overwhelmed by her eyes. That's never happened to me before. I don't know what happened but I'm seeing something other than boredom. I'm not sure what it was or even if she was doing it on purpose. All I know is that something in her eyes were actually compelling me to give in. _

"_Fine… Uhh… let's go." the acknowledgement of my unavoidable defeat doesn't come out with the hint of annoyance that it usually is accompanied by. This time it sounds more like confusion. She is already well on her way to the car so I can't be sure if she heard it or even cared about it. But something in her eyes made my mind give in before it was ready. I hadn't been defeated, I wasn't broken down. I just resigned the match to Sam. "Shouldn't we wait for Carly?" She wasn't able to come with us last time. _

"_No she has some project due on Monday so she is gonna be in the library." _

_This lunch goes pretty well. There are a lot less jabs to my shoulder because I didn't go to that awful place I took her to the week before. It was a joke that I played because… well basically I felt like it. It was some vegetarian place that I'm sure Sam has blocked from her memory. "You think that we should get something for Carly?" _

"_Nah, I'm sure one of the many lonely library geeks or struggling jocks has gotten her something." She looks like she's thinking about something. "Why do you keep trying Nub?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Why do you keep going after Carly? You know she'll never love you… not the way you apparently love her."_

_I keep trying because…" I don't really have an answer, "Why does it bug you so much that I'm still trying?" let's see if you have an answer for that._

"_It just bugs me, that's all."Is that a slight hesitation I hear?_

_Let's test the waters, "I think you might be a little jealous."_

"_Let me get this straight," This is about to be brutal. "You think I'm jealous of Carly because she has you whipped like a kid who just took money outta his mom's purse?" Ouch._

"_I'm not whipped!" This staring competition that we've entered into is more brutal than the first one because it is accompanied by an actual dialogue._

"_Oh yeah? Does this sound familiar? 'Please? For me?'… Stupid little mushy nub" That was eerily similar to Carly's voice. _

"_What's that supposed to mean?" I knew what it meant._

"_Whenever she says that and puts on that obviously fake pouty expression you turn into goo."_

"_You're just mad because no one falls for your pouty expression which only ends up looking like an over exaggerated puppy dog face." I'm holding up pretty good in this argument._

"_Well excuse me for not using emotional manipulation to get my way all of the time."_

"_Oh Yeah. That's right. You'd rather use violent manipulation."I think I'm winning. "I stand by my initial claim… You're jealous." Let's see you come back now Puckett._

"_It bugs me because it is really pathetic and stupid for you to keep trying."She has a comeback… she always has a comeback. "Freddie, I'm telling you this for your own good; Carly will never feel the same way about you" That didn't sound like it usually sounds. That phrase is normally accompanied with some degree of hatred, annoyance, or intent to kill. This it actually sounded like friendly advice. Sam was being friendly… who knew? "I'm telling you this because I consider you a friend. No matter what I do to you, I do it because I like you… as a friend."It's happening again. I'm seeing something in her eyes other than her usual boredom or burning evil. I can't read it before she changes the look to one which consisted of her regular murderous intent. "If you ever tell anyone I said that I will personally see to it that you find a six foot hole to crawl into." I smile and as the mood lightens I can see it again. An actual look of acceptance and what seems to be a general happiness. Sam had, somehow, grown to accept me. I had, somehow, become able to make her happy._

_How come I've never seen any of this in Carly's eyes? Well I suppose I've never looked into her eyes for any considerable period of time… let alone try to read them. Why haven't I tried to look into Carly's eyes? Why wasn't it ever that important that I know what Carly thinks. I suppose I've always known she was a friend, but then, why does it matter to me that Sam now sees me as a friend? To that effect why was I so happy when it happened? How long have I been hoping that she would see me the same way I saw her? Why do I care that I can now see through Sam's defenses at least some of the time? Why, all of a sudden, don't I care that I've never looked into Carly's eyes? Why do I care less and less about my ability, or lack thereof, to make Carly happy? Why do I find myself wondering how I made Sam happy and wondering how I can do it again? "Wake up Fredister, we gotta get to school." I'm snapped out of my reverie right before she socks me in the shoulder and all I do… all that I can do… is smile. Why was I so happy that she touched me? Why do I, now, wonder if liking Sam would be such a bad thing?_

"_I didn't know you cared." Maybe it's not such a bad thing._

"_I don't, but I know you do."At least I hope it's not a bad thing. _

The day I figured out that I could read Sam, was the day that my heart won. I don't know how long it had been fighting that battle but it won. That was why this place was special to me. It made Sam seem more human than she normally was. It made her seem likeable. This place was almost sacred and I managed to defile it without even thinking about it. I guess that with all of this drama I'm going through it didn't register. Nothing registered. It was just me thinking that I had to get away. Wendy was my escape and I shouldn't have done what I did. The biggest reason, however, is not that it put me in danger. It's not even that it put Wendy in danger. The biggest reason I shouldn't have taken Wendy to the fast food joint was that it was a direct act of betrayal.

Wendy couldn't see it in Sam's eyes but I did. That time I got a really good look into her eyes. Beyond the anger and confusion, I saw it. I saw the sign that I was looking for. I saw the sign that she cared at least a little bit. I saw the hurt in her eyes. I thought that the realization that she cared about our relationship even a little bit would lift a giant weight off of my shoulders or at least give me the brief satisfaction of victory that I so rarely get to taste. All it did was crush my heart to see her like that and knowing that I did that in that place only heightens the level of hatred that I currently have for myself.

The worst part is that despite knowing the outcome of this mess there is nothing I can do about it. From the moment she stepped into that place and saw me there with someone else I had traveled into territory which I should have avoided at all costs. A territory that I cannot return from… that I cannot escape from. This has to run its course now and there's no way around it.

* * *

Well there you have it. I hope that at least some of you were able to enjoy the story.

Now for a bit of a sad (or happy depending on your opinion of the story) announcement. As you are all aware it is now November. For me that means that it is now crunch time as far as school is concerned. Now for the sad (or happy) part. I won't even be able to work on this story until the beginning of December. Yes that means that my next update won't come until late December. I'm sorry but anyone who can consistently update while trying to keep a 3.5 in college should be considered a fan fiction (or time management) genius. I'm sorry to say that I deserve no such accolades.

Thank you guys for reading. Review if you like (I hope you do) if you don't thanks for reading my story anyway. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
until my next update or post,  
Deuces  
KL21


	6. Deadly Ground

WHEW. It feels good to be back on. This is KL21 saying hello to you all once again. I'm back from my Hiatus and I'm glad to report that my GPA is still in tact.

As promised, here is the next chapter to my story. Sorry that it is a lil shorter than the others.

Not much else to say except… Enjoy the show.

* * *

Deadly Ground

**Freddie's POV**

As screwed up as this day has been I still have work to do. I can't completely lose focus of that. On the slight, and now severely, reduced chance that this debacle ends up how I want it to end; I have to work so that I can have money. I want to be able to buy her things even if she really doesn't require that much maintenance. Is my phone vibrating? I wonder who that could be, I'm not late. Ok, I can check it at this red light.

_Dork_

_I don't b-leev u  
I suppose ur serious  
If that's how u want it  
then thats how ull get it  
from now on were total  
strngrs_

_*princessofpain*_

I suppose I should have expected this but looking at it made it all real. Not that I was wavering or anything… Ok, maybe I was starting to, but now I can't back out. If I were to back out now she would never respect me. At least she is taking me seriously and I know that I should be grateful for that but, right now it is the absolute smallest of victories. Maybe later it will prove to be the greatest of victories… whether or not that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen. Finally made it to Gibby's. Who is it this time?

_Freddie_

_Ur gonna find out how  
wat its lik w/o me  
the hard way  
njoy the party  
idiot_

_*princessofpain*_

I'm not sure what that is supposed to mean but I'm sure that it isn't good. I can tell by the last word of that message. _Idiot_. I couldn't hear her say it but I could feel the hatred and malice dripping off of the word. I can picture her spitting the word out at me as if it were a poison meant for me… that could only kill me.

I can tell by the first word of the message. _Freddie._ I have never really liked it when she called me by her silly nicknames. But I grew to see it as a sign that she was always thinking of me. Perhaps that's just what I wanted to believe. Those names are creative. But now it's just _Freddie_. I'm not sure how to respond to that… or even if I should respond, for that matter.

Another thing I don't get is what she meant by 'the hard way'. To be perfectly honest, life with her wasn't a walk in the park. How did she find out about the party? Well, I suppose I have to press forward. Something feels quite ominous about this party. Maybe I should sit this one out. No, that wouldn't be professional. I set up the deal so I should be there to see it through and close it.

Now to find Shane and Jeremy. Ah, there they are.

"What's up Shane?" why is he so jumpy?

"What's up man?" he seems kind of nervous.

"You ok? You seem a little out of it."

"I ran into Sam before I left school." This can't be good.

"What did she do to you?" I can't keep the fear out of my voice.

"Nothin' but I saw the look in her eyes." He stared blankly off into space, much like Carly does when she is traumatized. "It was a look of raw, unbridled, pure anger and hatred." I think my heart just stopped. "So…" On my God, there's more. "… I decided to try to talk to her." No, Shane, you're smarter than that. "I saw her talkin to some of the jocks and she turned and I saw her eyes again… it was like staring into death's eyes. It was like staring into a pair of eyes that would make death piss his pants." That sounds like Sam.

"Did she do anything?"

"She said that I should tell you that 'your game starts now'. I'm not sure what she meant but I was too afraid to ask."

"Hey Freddie – Achoo – did you hear – achoo – Sam's upset – achoo – achoo – achoo. I'm gonna get back to work – achoo – I'm a mess." He went back to setting up lights, sneezing all the way.

"Freddie I'm not sure what's goin on but maybe it's not such a good idea for you to be here right now." He's right. He knows that he's right. I know that he's right. But I also know that I can't show weakness. I can't second guess anything. I see his face once he sees mine and he knows that I'm not backing down… not this time.

"No, this is my deal right? So I have to stay." He looks at his watch. I must break this tension, "So according to the guidelines: Since I signed off on this deal I'm in charge." He smiles and nods his head. He must grateful for the change in subject. "So give me an update. How's setup goin?"

"Well I've got my camera in the car. Jeremy is setting up the lights and pretty soon, Wesley will be getting out of school." I forgot about Wesley. How am I gonna pick him up.

"Don't worry about it. I told him that you would pick him up at the back of the school." I let out a breath so huge I'm pretty sure I started a hurricane on the east coast.

-- _fast forward_ --

In the waning daylight the party had started. Most of the senior class was here as well as a few of the underclassmen. Wesley was the DJ, while Jeremy, Shane, and I worked the cameras at different areas. Jeremy was assigned to the dance floor. Shane was roaming the party, interviewing the different party goers. I was also roaming; however my main focus was Gibby. The lights were controlled through mine and Shane's laptops and we were wearing controls on our hips that could control the laptops. It's 9:00 and the party is in full swing.

"Hey Fred-lame!" the name is familiar but the voice is that of a male. I turn around to see James Wheeler the captain of the football team. "We here you and Puckett are no longer associating."

How does he know about me and Sam? "How do you…"

"Well that's too bad for you." What's he talkin about? "We'll see you later… you can count on it." I could feel the venom of his words and an all too familiar feeling of dread came over me. What were they planning? Maybe I should've sat this one out. What is that I'm stepping on? Huh? Ahhhhh!! Who put that rake there?

The pain in my head is loud, but it doesn't drown out the sound of the people laughing. I knew who was responsible. Hopefully it would stop there.

"Hey Ben-turd!" Not again. "Rumor has it: you're fresh on the bully market. I just wanted to get a head start before everyone else decides to take a piece." Lance Randall is the most notorious male bully at Ridgeway being the only one who targets seniors. The evil in his eyes is something I've never seen before. He signals one person to come over and nods at two others. They run off, and the pit in my stomach just got ten times deeper. What's about to happen? "You know… I've been wantin to do this for a long time. You know how much extra work I've gotten because you just had to show off?" that's why he's been held after class? I thought it was some sort of personal issue. But I never showed off… it's only Miss Briggs that holds him. I barely even participate in that class. We share a computer class also and I do more work in that class than any other. This jus doesn't make any… what was that noise?

"Hey let go of me." I struggle in futility as two of his cronies raise me higher in the air. They turn me upside down and I look up to see a trash can. I know the rest and I close my eyes and wait for the plunge. I felt the short rush of wind and then my head going through napkins paper plates and various food items. I can hear the faint sounds of people laughing. Were it not for the smell I would stay in here for the rest of the night. As it is, however, I can't take this smell much longer. I don't wait for anyone to help me. I wiggle from side to side until the trash can tilts over. I wriggle my way out and then I stand up and see all of the laughing faces. It's everyone save for a few people.

I have to do something if this party stops none of us gets paid. I talk into the head set.

"Wesley, put the music back on. Shane did you get a tripod?"

"Yeah."

"Ok you're gonna roam the party and follow Gibby. I'm gonna set up a stationary spot at the DJ station and film the dance floor. Jeremy you're gonna take over the party interviews. Everybody got it?"

"Sure thing."

"Yep."

"I – Achoo – Got it – Achoo."

I stalk off to the van and get set up. The party goes more or less smoothly for the next couple of hours. Here was a fight but nothing too big. I can't help but notice that I haven't seen Sam all night. For some reason I thought that she would be here. I thought I heard her laughing earlier when the rake hit me but I guess my mind was playing tricks on me. Gibby had a band coming and they had already set up. The more I think about it… I just think that Gibby wanted an excuse to throw a party and have a mud pit in his back yard. I know he saves a lot of money but, seriously. To be able to afford all this it's unreal. Whatever it's not my place to ask, just to film, and film I shall. From the DJ's table you can see basically the entire party. I see pretty much the regular party activity: Various cliques talking, random people hooking up, not so random people splitting, and suspicious group of jocks talking in a relatively secluded area. Given the events of the night I should be wary of them. "Wesley, the band's coming up. Gibby's gonna introduce them and then they'll play a couple of songs."

"I got it but it might be a lil choppy because I didn't get a chance to do a sound check."

"Wes I have faith in you."

Gibby moved to the center stage and signaled Wesley to kill the music. "Yo Yo Yo! You havin a good time tonight!?!" His question was met with roars from the crowd and raised drinks. "Good good… that's good to hear. I wanna take this time to thank you all for coming out tonight. As promised… I've got the newest band here to sing a few songs from they're upcoming album, 'Burn It to the Ground,'" the crowd roared at this. This band had one song out on the radio but it is quickly rising on the charts. "Make sure you buy their album when it comes out in two weeks on March 9th, I give you Sonic Sha-Boom! (Sorry, I had to do it XD)" I had moved my tripod to the platform across form the DJ's platform. This way I can get the crowd and the band. They opened with they're title track, 'Burn It to the Ground,' the crowd was jumping and waving their hands. Down in the mud pit, which was right below me I caught some shots of the students slamming into each other and doing some random crowd surfing. They are starting to pick it up a little.

This isn't so bad. Aside from the events that took place an hour ago, this has been an ok night. What was that? Looking down, I can see the remains of a water balloon. Now fearing for the safety of my camera, I look around for the source. Then I see them; the jocks, led by James Wheeler, all have water balloons. Simultaneously they let them fly. I shield my camera with my body and take the brunt of their attack. I turn and see them again. It looks as if one of them is missing but I don't have time to wonder where he went because they send another volley towards me. I shield again, this time taking a balloon to the face. While trying to keep the water from my eyes I feel a nudge. Out of instinct I reach out and grab the nearest object hoping to at least take whoever pushed me down with me. As my luck would have it I grabbed my camera and down we fell. Into the mud. Luckily the commotion was heard and they cleared out a landing area. I sit up I take out the tape and save it before the mud and water can get to it and ruin what I've already shot. My camera isn't so lucky as I watch it spark and sizzle. I hear the laughter again. It's become all to familiar and I just get up and leave. Retaliation is out of the question, at the moment because if the party is shut down on my account then we get nothing. Now I actually need that money to replace my camera.

I look around for a quick exit. I see none. It's as if everyone has surrounded me to laugh at me. I search for a familiar face that would let me through. All I see is laughing. I close my eyes trying to fight off my desperation. Trying to fight all urges to run to the nearest person and hit them, fight them, hurt them. I must look ridiculous while I'm crouching down to shield my ears from their scathing laughter. I see a small opening to the left. I head towards it and I see her. Sam, standing there; she isn't helping but at least she isn't laughing along with everyone else. I can't tell if it's because she doesn't think it's funny or if it's because Carly is along with her. But I can't go over there and face her. Not covered in mud and defeated. I just stand there and stare at her. She crosses her arms, rolls her eyes and walks away. "Sam!!" I hear Carly scream in exasperation. "Sam, come back, we have to…" her voice fades into the distance and I know that help won't be coming from them.

I can't take it any more. I collapse my tripod and leave the camera in the mud. I throw it back up to the platform. I still hear the music playing. I climb to the top of the platform and see the assailant. He's standing there laughing in my face. "Well well well, Fred-wuss, are you getting mad." He says through his laughter, "what're you gonna do about it? Nothin… you won't do anything." I bend down and pick up my tripod by the handle. I turn around and plan to walk away. "You won't do anything because you're weak. Once Puckett left you, you had nothing left." His laughing dies down but I can hear that he is still amused. "you're too weak to make it on your own and now you'll find that out the hard way." I now knew who told them about me and Sam. It was her. She did it. I wipe the mud off of my brow, he must've have mistook it for crying. "Hey look everybody at the crybaby Benson." The laughs return and I have reached my limit. I tried to get out but it all surrounded me: The laughs, the torment, the pain, the humiliation, all of it started to close in. There is nothing left for me to do but fight back. "Hey Benson when you're done crying, maybe you can…" he didn't have a chance to finish before I turned and swung my tripod. It connected with his shoulder. The laughter turns to gasps.

Hopefully I hit him with the handle of the thing that part hurts the worst. I know from personal experience. As I watch him fall all I can think is that I hope he breaks his arm. I look around for the other jocks. I know I don't stand a chance against all of them but I plan on taking one or two down before I go. They are no where to be found so I just walk off to my car.

Should I look for Sam? Maybe we can come to some sort of resolution. No I doubt that she has somehow become less stubborn. Could she really have done this to me? How could she sell me down the river like that? I suppose this is what she meant. She knew that this was going to happen. She had somehow spread the word that I was on the open market for bullies. I look back at the scene of damage I caused. I hear static coming out of my headset.

"Freddie?" It's Shane, "Freddie, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"You sound terrible, what happened?" I was kind of hoping he wouldn't notice anything. I was hoping that I could try to sort this out before telling anybody anything about what happened tonight. Now I have to go around looking suspicious.

"It's nothing that I can't fix myself." And the lies begin, "I'm gonna need you to take over. You know what to do right? It's already getting to be around twelve so the party can't go for more than a couple of hours. If it does, tell Gibby to call me."

"You got it… but… what about you? Are you sure you're gonna be ok?"

"I'll be fine." The lies keep coming.

Ok now that that's taken care of, I've got to get home. Now to take a look at my situation: When I get to school nest week I will be pursued by an entirely new host of bullies and jocks, Something is telling me that teachers are gonna be particularly difficult to deal with, I've got to do iCarly tomorrow (normally it would be on Fridays but since the party was tonight we moved the broadcast to Saturday), and I'm not sure how Sam will act around me, or how I'll react to her presence. The only thing that is certain is that the walls are closing in and I'm running out of ways to avoid them. I might have to start fighting back.

I was hoping to just sit back and try and let Sam figure out her role in this situation. Now the rules have changed a little. Now she has put me on a defensive. She wants a war… no… she wants a surrender. She wants _my_ surrender. However, her actions have made surrender impossible.

Well that's fine Puckett, you wanted a fight so bad then I'll give you one last fight. Nobody puts Freddie in a corner.

It'll be the fight of your life. Hope you're ready.

* * *

So there u have it. A revised chapter 6. I think this closed out the chapter a little better. I also think that it gives you a little more to be excited about (depending on how you feel about the story). If anyone has any ideas for the story I would happily fit them in the plot of the story.

I wanna take the time to thank everyone who's favorited my story and put it on their alerts. I also think that there were one or two of you who put me on your author alerts as well

I also want to take the time to give a special thanks to all of the readers that have reviewed my story. Reviews are the writers driving force. If you don't leave reviews the writer tends to feel as if the story isn't all that important. So to the few that have reviewed once again I give a special thanks to you guys for giving me a reason to continue this story (as well as not settle for giving you guys crap to read). I hope that this version is better. If you liked the older version beterthen just let me know.

Thank you all for reading my story. I hope u enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Review if you like (I hope you do ). If not thanks again for taking the time to read my story.  
Until next update  
KL21  
Deuces.


	7. A Turn for the Worse

Wat up KL21 here.

I know. I'm late. One thing and then Imma let you go.

I re-did the ending of chapter six, Deadly Ground, so if you were as unhappy with the ending as I was then you can go back and read the ending. It's not necessary tho bcuz i didn't change the content of the chapter I just wanted the end to flow a little better. I think it does.

Please read, enjoy, and review. Thank you.

* * *

A Turn for the Worse

**Sam's POV**

I saw him when he gave them orders. I saw him when the jocks placed the rake behind him. I saw him when Lance and his posse stuffed him the trash can. He just got up and ignored all of it. How long could he continue? How long do I have to wait before he breaks? How long will it be before he, finally, comes crawlin' back to mama?

I'm keeping my distance but I _do_ have my eye on him. I want a front row seat when his little plan, whatever it is, blows up in his face. I want to watch him squirm beneath the pressure of being without me. I want to document every moment of his defeat and then "mysteriously" appear when he's ready to give in. I will relish in the moment forever. I'll hold that moment over his head and beat him down with it every chance I get. Why won't he give up, already?

"Hey Sam." Great, Carly's here. I can't hold this conversation for too long. I have to keep tabs on the nub, "I see you're still watching Freddie." How observant.

"Yeah, is there some point to this? Not to be rude or anything but it's hard to converse and watch Freddie at the same time."

"Yes, there is a point. Why don't you stop this?"

"Why should I? This is what he wanted."

"I know, but how much of a choice did you leave him?"

"He's and adult… technically… so he can make his own decisions." I know what I did and I will make no apologies for it. He knew what type of girl she was… I can't believe he would even try to go out with a girl like that.

"Sam I know you don't like losing an argument… or anything, to Freddie, but right now you're risking losing him altogether." Why is she trying to rain on my parade?

" Carly, everything will turn out fine. He'll break and apologize and then we'll all be friends again." She isn't satisfied… and I can't blame her. Something about what's been going on has me a little shaken but I'm sure it's no big deal.

"Ok, then I'm gonna go mingle."

"Mingle?"

"I can talk fancy if I wanna." She smiles and I can't help but smile back. It's just so darned infectious… maybe even contagious.

Now, back to… Aww Chiz… where'd he go? Ah, there he is up by the DJ booth. It looks like he's set up over there for the moment. All the better for me. It'll be easier to watch him.

The party is going on, more or less, without a hitch. A couple of skanks are trying to give Freddie their numbers. Skank number one is Tanya Samuels. Even Freddie knows to stay away from her. She has been caught in the boy's locker room three times since we've started goin there. It's her third… that's right… third year as a senior. I know Freddie will turn her down. Skank number two is Lisa Preston. I don't really have any info on her but I got a feelin'. I'll have to talk to Wendy and see what I can get on her. Wendy is very well connected to the goings on of the school. Don't know how she does it but she does and she does it well.

Why is Freddie attracting all of these skanks. First, there was Kayla, and now, there's Tanya and Lisa. We can't forget about Valerie and Shannon. Well Shannon wasn't a skank she was just really weird. Well it's not only skanks… Wendy was on a date with him… Maybe I shouldn't talk to Wendy just yet. I guess everybody likes Freddie. He can get every girl except for the one he wants… every girl except for the one he needs... I definitely shouldn't talk to Wendy yet.

"Yo Yo Yo! You havin a good time tonight!?!" Gibby must be introducing the band. "Good good… that's good to hear. I wanna take this time to thank you all for coming out tonight. As promised… I've got the newest band here to sing a few songs from they're upcoming album, 'Burn It to the Ground,'" the crowd roars. I'm a little indifferent. Their music is ok but they have got to find a new drummer. "Make sure you buy their album when it comes out in two weeks on March 9th, I give you Sonic Sha-Boom!"

Freddie has moved to the platform on the other side, right above the mud pit. How can Gibby afford all this? I mean really, a mud pit? Gibby's got more issues than the ones I caused. That's for sure.

Well, well, well. The jocks have returned, I see. And it seems they come bearing water balloons. This may get out of hand, however, I know where those balloons are headed. Poor, disillusioned, nubby, Freddie. He has no idea. Normally I would stop this, but my curiosity has gotten the better of me, as well as my quest for vengeance. Here comes the wind up… and the pitch. His aim is awful. How'd this guy become a jock? They try again, this time releasing a volley of balloons. Freddie is now soaked. I think one of the jocks is missing… I wonder where he went. The other jocks are still hurling balloons.

Look at him… trying to protect his precious camera. Wait… that jock is… Oh my God. I push towards the mud pit but the thud of a body hitting the mud has already been heard and the circle has already been formed. Freddie and his camera have both disappeared form the platform leaving behind a jock raising his arms in triumph. I finally make it to the crowd. They're all laughing.

Finally, here comes the surrender that I've been waiting for. Then, we can be friends again and I can beat the crap out of those jocks. He looks so pathetic… down there crouching as if he was having a nervous breakdown.

He's starting to get up. Come on dork… give mama what she wants. Now it's time for my mysterious appearance. We've made eye contact, now all he has to do is… Why is he just standing there? Crap here comes Carly. Well I can't stay here now… he'll never apologize in front of her. "Sam!!" Awww, please, not now. "Sam, come back. We have to help Freddie." She continues to follow me, despite my failure to respond. "Sam!!" Maybe she's following me because of my failure to respond.

"Look, Shay. This is what he wanted. Remember? We're complete strangers…" the memory is still a little painful, "… Co-workers… and Classmates…" She flinches as my words are coming out through clinched teeth now. "…and nothing more"

"But, Sam…"

"Nothing… more." She turns and looks towards the platform.

"Look at him Sam… It looks like he's crying." Her pleas continue. "He doesn't want this anymore." I didn't want it at all.

Still if he's crying then it won't be long. I look up to the platform… "He's not crying, he's wiping his forehead." Well, time to make my exit. I ahven't gained any ground in this thing at all. What was that noise and what's with all the gasps. Ah, forget it. It's all the way back there and I ain't walkin back. I'm sure I'll hear about it at school on Monday.

"Sam…" She won't let it go. Tenacity is usually considered a good trait. One person's virtue is another person's vice, I suppose. "… please think about what you're doing."

"I am! Try talkin to him!" My outburst seems to have startled her. "You would have an easier time tryin to sway him than I would." She has no reply. I have no patience. It might be time to up the difficulty of this game.

The Next Day

We have to do iCarly today. I wonder how it will go.

Alright Sammy, think. What's the worst that could he could do to you? You're holdin' all the cards. He's the one that needs you, not the other way around. He'll break soon… You'll see. Man… the more I say it, the more it sounds like I'm just tryin' to convince myself. Look at the time, "I gotta get to Carly's."

Ever since an incident, involving a hobo, some spare change, Gibby's toenail, and ten… I repeat ten minutes of dead space during the show, Carly makes us do run-throughs before every show. I mean… it wasn't that bad. The doctor said that Gibby's toe nail _might_ grow back. Oh well, I'm still gonna improvise where I see fit. "What up Carls?"

"Oh… hey Sam." That's not the greeting I was expecting. It's about time to start. Someone's missing.

"Where's Freddie?" he's usually here before we do anything.

"He set up yesterday, after he left Gibby's party." What… when… how did he… "After that whole mess with the water ballons, he stopped by here. Spencer let him in." Why does she sound so depressed?

"Wow. The boy's gone to a new level of stalking…" not even a chuckle, " I mean first, it was lookin' through his peep hole to if you were home. And now, he's actually waiting in your house." Still nothin'.

"No. Spencer said he had all his wires and cables." Alright. Enough of this.

"So, what's the deal?" She sort of looked confused, "Why are you so down today?"

"I just miss the way things used to be… I guess." She sounds like she's about to meddle, "But I'm still staying out of it." This isn't getting any easier. "Don't worry. I'll be ready by show time." There goes that darned smile again. Just when I want her to meddle… she decides that she wants to keep her nose out of it. Very frustrating.

Show Time

"Where's Freddie?" She has been pacing the studio for the last three minutes yelling that out every now and then. It's starting to get on my nerves.

"Carl, calm down…" She glares over at me. I keep forgetting that she doesn't like to be told to calm down. Even so… "He said he would be here."

"He better be, else I'm holdin' you responsible."

Is she serious? "How am I responsible?" I mean really. He's the one who…

"Need I remind you how your fight started?" Stupid logic.

"Listen, Catly…"

"Sorry I'm late, Carly." Speakin' of nubs… were we speakin of nubs? I think so?

"'Bout time." He looks over at me and… nods… he just nods. Then, he goes over to start screwing around with his laptop. WHAT WAS THAT?

"Ok… all set… ready Carly?"

"Yep." Why is he…

"In 5… 4… 3…" Did he just, "2…" he points and the show is under way. The show progresses normally at first. There is only one thing that is different. Freddie isn't laughing. He just films the show and stares at me. I say _at me_ because when he looks at Carly he smiles at her… at her jokes and funny sayings and what have you. When the camera is on me, he doesn't smile… his mouth doesn't even twitch.

We've reached the midway point in the show. We're showing some video. I don't have the energy to even care about whose video it is. Don't get me wrong I care about our viewers; it's just that after doing the show I'm drained. If you're wondering why I pick on Freddie during the show, it's not just to be mean… that's just added bonus, and it's not because I secretly harbor some sort of emotion for him… I don't care what you all say. I have no feelings and you can't make me admit them… I dare you to try. Anyways, I pick on him because it gives me a rush. It gives me a charge… he's like a new set of batteries… for me. I pick on him, he tries, in futility, to fight back, I win and I have a new drive to finish the show.

Why didn't I think of this sooner? I just insult Freddie and he'll fight back… and everything will be back to normal. I couldn't do it earlier because he was avoiding me. But now he's here and he's stuck here til we finish the show. The video's over now. Time to put my plan into action. "Next up on iCarly we're gonna show you something that we thought was a little strange." There's the set up its now or never.

"Is Freddie gonna put his face…" I look into his eyes. My mind goes blank, "Is Freddie gonna…" There's no spark… he won't bite… I can't finish… he just…

"O…k…" he just… "It seems that Sam has suddenly come down with... something, so were gonna end the show a little early today." He… "Tune in next week at the original time," … just… "I carly and this is Sam." … beat me. "This was iCarly."

"We're clear." The show's over but that isn't important. Since the time we met on that playground when we were five (AN – 1), Freddie has never beaten me. He got me one time when he cuffed me to Gibby… who _is_ way worse than a dead fish; I don't care what his mom says… but I got him back. I won't go into details but, we ended up calling it a tie. But… he never…beat me. Just saying it gives me a bad taste in my mouth, with the turning of my stomach to match.

I play to win. I don't play, not to lose, and I certainly don't play for ties… that one time being the exception. I can't lose… it's not in my vocabulary. It's never happened to me… I've always had the last laugh… and this time will be no different.

I'm a winner, I always have been. If I don't win then that means I lose. If I lose… who am I then?

* * *

Well there you have it. Now for the wrap up.

AN – 1: For that story you can check out my story, "Seddie Story Shuffle." The entire shuffle will not apply just the first song.

I'm so sorry for taking so long. You can blame me for that, I will go ahead and place the blame on my history class. I've also reached a conclusion on why I am having problems with this fic.

The first reason is that this fic is outside of my writing style. I like to focus on what/how the characters think and feel about certain things (See any of my one shots or The Mind of Seddie), this fic focuses on what the characters are doing. So please bear with me.

The second reason is that this fic, being outside of my normal realm of writing, requires the full spectrum of my thought. That being said, I don't know if I'll be able to update before the summer. I will be able to update, The Mind of Seddie, so I won't disappear completely but if I do update this before summer, it will be late March after my spring break.

The break will, however, give you guys a chance to help me out little bit. All ideas are considered and appreciated.

To axel100, thank you for your suggestions and ideas. I will use as many of them as I can, they will show up somewhere in the next couple of chapters. Thanks for your help.

That'll do for now. Thank you guys for reading, review if you'd like (I hope you do) otherwise, thank you for reading my story, I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
Until next time,  
Deuces  
KL21

P.S. – I've made a New Year's resolution to respond to every one of my reviews, good or bad, flame or not, constructive or deconstructive, large or small, it doesn't matter. You write a review and you will hear from me.


	8. Side Quests

Hey people! No, your eyes don't deceive you. This is an update from KL21, and yes it has arrived on time. Nothing special to mention about this story

So, without further ado, I give you Chapter 8 of WarGames. Please read, enjoy and review. Thank You.

* * *

Side Quests

**Sam's POV**

What time is it? 10:00 am. I've been up for two hours. I can't believe I woke up at 8:00 on a Sunday. I've got absolutely nowhere to be. I've nowhere I really want to be. I'm still a little shaken by yesterday's events. If this is what losing is like then I'm definitely gonna beat Freddie because losing sucks. I don't understand how he puts up with it all of the time. Well If I'm gonna beat Freddie then I'm gonna have to get some things first. I wonder if Carly's home. Well enough wondering, let's find out.

"Carly, you home?" Huh. Where is she? I'll check up stairs.

No Carly, but Spencer's here. "Hey Spence." He must've jumped two feet in the air.

"Hey Sam." He's still a little timid. At least it's not as bad as last month. And his hair is starting to grow back. "You don't have any scissors, do you?"

"No." This is ridiculous, "Are you still afraid of me?" It's not like I did it on purpose. Freddie said something about the proportionality of the size of Pluto to the other planets. I needed a lock of hair to prove my point that size doesn't make it any less a part of the solar system. It's not my fault he moved.

"I'm not afraid of you Sam…" he can't see the confused expression that I'm wearing because he's lookin down and to the left in some sorta dramatic fashion… that's definitely where Carly gets it from, "but my hair is. And what the hair says, goes."

I don't have time for this, "Where's Carly?"

"I don't know. She left about an hour ago, didn't say where, though."

Well that's just great. I know. I'll check the Groovy Smoothie. "Thanks anyway."

Well here we are. She's not at the counter. She's not at the stools. She's not at any of the tables. Hmm, she may be in the bathroom so I'll wait for her to come out. Wendy's here so I'll chat with her. "Hey Wendy." She can stretch her eye really wide. Why is she so afraid?

"H-H-Hey Sam…" Is she shaking? "About that whole lunch fiasco…" Oooh, that explains it.

"Don't worry about it." Don't be fooled, I'm still upset about it but she's more useful to me when she's not afraid of me. Surely enough she starts to relax. "I need some information on a couple of people."

She smiles, "Well, if it's info you seek then you came to the right place." I just might let her off the hook. She is a good friend to the three of us, and to iCarly. Not to mention, she's quite useful. I generally don't like gossips, but she isn't a bad person really. Then again, she isn't really a gossip more than she is an informant. She doesn't spread rumors around, and the info you do get from her is pretty accurate. I'm still unsure of how she gets her information, or even where she gets her information, she may be a better invisible ninja than I am… especially since I'm on a web show that almost the entire school watches. Can't really be invisible when everyone knows who you are. "What do ya need?"

First things first, "Let's start with my regular information." She starts to fiddle with her PearPod. "Hey, is that new?"

"Yeah, I figured that if I've got info and people want it, then I might as well charge them for it." I didn't know she charged. "I don't charge you for my services because if it weren't for you guys, I never would've started doin this in the first place." That's true, I suppose. She would only come to us with her gossip, and we told her to use it for a more positive purpose than just to spread rumors about other people. We also told her to get the whole story. That's what makes Wendy different from Kayla. She obviously didn't check that rumor I started before she decided to send it to the entire school. "Ahh, here we go." I turn to survey the establishment once again, I don't see her anywhere. She must not be here. "Mr. Howard was spotted eating glue during lunch on Friday... Ms. Briggs has been sucking her thumb for the last three days… I think that the two incidents may be related but more investigation is required… Freddie has been pretty low key since the incident at Gibby's party." What incident.

"What're you talkin about? What incident?" she's lookin at me weird.

"At Gibby's party. You didn't see it?" She's still lookin at me funny, "When Freddie got knocked into the mud pit…" Oh, ok.

"I knew about that, but he seemed to take it ok." Much to my chagrin.

Why is she shaking her head? "No, after that. One of the jocks started to mock him. Then, Freddie hauled off and hit him with the tripod. Knocked him clean off of the platform. Steve now has a dislocated shoulder and a broken humerus."

A broken, humorous, what? "What does humor have to do with this?"

"It's the bone above the elbow." Oh.

That must've been the sound that I heard as I was leavin. I'm actually impressed. Didn't know he had it in him, although, this probably creates more problems than it solves. "Anything else?"

"Well it's not exactly about Freddie but its Freddie related?"

"Give it to me."

"Freddie's recent act of violence has significantly increased his bad boy image." I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. "Romantic interest has increased by about 20 percent." WHAT!! Romantic interest?

"When you say romantic interest, do you mean…"

"Reports show that a portion of the junior class has been looking into his relationship status, as well as, a small constituent of the senior class."

"You've got reports?" How does she get reports?

"I take this very seriously." I suppose she should. "Is there anything else you wanna know?"

"Yeah, what information do you have on Lisa Preston?"

"Hmm, let's see… Peters… Peterson… Powell… Prescott… Preston. Preston, Henry… Preston, John… Preston, Kimberly… Ah here we go, Preston, Lisa." She is very well organized, I could've gone to her when I needed help getting my school stuff organized and saved myself the embarrassment of having to ask Freddie for help. "She's kept pretty clean this year." Crap. "Straight A's, Honors math and history, accepted to Stanford, UCLA, Washington, and Washington State," My God, She's worse than Carly.

There's gotta be something, "What about personality wise?" She raises her eyebrows and searches her PearPod.

"Umm, She has a tiny bit of a jealous streak," Okay, "Can be overwhelming in conversation," very chatty, "Prone to temper tantrums." Cry baby. Is that it?

"Is there anything else?" She's friggin' perfect.

"Well, what are you lookin' for?"

Why can't she have some sort of 'no questions asked' policy? "What about personality related to her relationships?" This is gonna raise questions.

"Umm, Jealous streak, conversation dominator, bratty. Sorry Sam, that's all I got at the moment." Chizz she is perfect. "Because of her relatively spotless record, there was no reason to dig deeper." What is she thinkin' up? "There may be something there if we dig a little deeper just give me some time." All I can do is nod.

Freddie could end up callin' this chick and then he'll forget about me all together. Heck, he'll even forget about Carly. They could go off together to… to… What colleges has Freddie been accepted to? Carly would know.

"Hey Sam, Can I ask you something?" What does she want to know? What could she possibly not know yet?

"Sure?" I'm a little wary of questioning from informants.

"Why are you so interested in Lisa?"

Oh no, I can't let her know that I'm checkin up on Freddie. There's no doubt that she knows about our fight, so it would seem weird. Not to mention completely inexplicable. I have to play this cool, if there is anything off about my answer she will start digging, and she can be as relentless as Carly. "Because…"

"Before you answer, let me clarify my question." Well this is unexpected, "I know why you're interested in Lisa. There is only one reason you've ever come to me with a specific request for a girl." Double Chizz, "There was that girl that did magic, a couple of years ago, there was Shannon, there was Tanya, and there was Kayla. There is only one thing that all of these girls had in common. They all had or have a thing for Freddie." She's definitely gonna start diggin' now. I doubt that it matters what I say at this point, "So I guess my real question is: Why do you care about who's interested in Freddie?" There has to be some way to get out of this.

"I just want to make sure he doesn't get hurt." It is the truth, "He's still my friend," at least I hope he is. It's not like I hate him. He just needs to get over what I did, because I'm not apologizing.

Come on, that has to be good enough, "Ok." Phew, "Well, if there's any dirt on Lisa, I'll have it by Tuesday at the latest." Wow, two days? She works fast. "Well Sam, I have another appointment in about 10 min."

"Oh, sure thing," informants work is never done, I suppose, "Hey, did Carly come by here at all today?"

"Not since I've been here."

"Is there any way you could find out where she is?"

"Sure, give me a sec." Let's see, she's not at her apartment, she's not here, she wouldn't go to Build-A-Bra without me, she could be at the store but she won't be there for long. So where would she go? Well she could be at the… "My sources say that she's been spotted at the park." What's she doin there?

"Ok, thanks."

What could she be doin at the park. Oh well, looks like I'm off to the park. But before I go, "T-Bo, Blueberry Blitz!"

"B-Blitz!" Here it comes… in 3-2-1. "Wanna buy some French toast?"

"Just give me my smoothie!" I don't have time for French toast.

"Sell you the whole stick… $4.50" Oh man that's cheaper than it usually is.

"Why so cheap?"

"Your friend brought the stick of pretzels for $6.50, so I'm runnin a deal."

Seems a little sketchy, "How much for syrup?"

"For you… 25 cents."

"Ok I'll take it." Now that I have breakfast I should be able to put up with some of this nonsense.

So, before I find Carly, lemme see if I got my whole situation straight: Freddie cut off our friendship, then, he went out on a lunch date with Wendy… at our spot no less, he goes crazy and starts attackin' jocks… which will come back to bite him if he doesn't end this soon, and now he's ignoring me. This is quite the situation he's gotten himself into. Oh well, let's see how long he can last.

Finally at the park, not many places she would be. There is either the pond, or the walkway. I doubt she will be at the playground so I'll save that for last. I wonder if ducks eat French toast. How do birds handle powdered sugar? I know rice is bad, poor pigeon. I didn't know at the time, I was nine.

There she is, "Hey Carly."

"Oh, hey Sam." Is she still depressed?

"What's goin' on kid?" Maybe I can assure her, or reassure her. "Are you still worried about Freddie?"

"Of course I am. I'm worried about all of you." Maybe I can get her worked up and _convince_ her to join me in my quest for victory. "Why do you think I'm here?" She's right, I was so focused on finding her that I didn't survey the area.

We were in the area of the park where hobos stay. Good thing it was the middle of the day. The skeevy hobos don't come out til night. Anyways, because of all the hobos, people rarely come back here. Generally the rule with hobos is that if you feed the leader they will all pretty much leave you alone. "Carly did you feed, Rufus?"

Come on Carly you've got to remember to feed the hobos, "Rufus isn't in charge anymore, Spanky managed to find a half of pizza in the dumpster. He staged a coup of some sort and now he's in charge." Hobo politics, there should be a class. "But I did feed him." Phew.

"Carly what if I told you that I have a way to end this?" She's still depressed?

"It's best not to mix yourself up in hobo affairs, Sam." What the…

"Not the hobos." She's in really bad shape, "I mean the situation with Freddie." She's perked up at this. Good, happy Carly equals good Carly.

"Really, Sam? You're gonna apologize?" poor disillusioned friend of mine.

"No, I'm not going to apologize." She turned herself down cast again, "What? Are you saying that you think the only way to end this is if I apologize?"

"Sam, you may not realize this, but you've rubbed off on Freddie too." What is she talkin' about? "It's not just you, who's been: getting better in school, and showing up to more of your classes, actually applying to colleges, doing well on your SATs. Generally people's personalities rub off on _each other_." Well all of that stuff is true. "It's him too. He's been: becoming looser, doing more things on his own, he's been sneaking out of his house, ignoring authority figures ranging from certain teachers to even his mother on occasion, and the most important one, as far as you're concerned, he's become more stubborn." She's right. If he wasn't stubborn, then maybe this whole thing would've been over a while ago… maybe even before the party, "He has a specific set of principles now and he will stick to them. He's developed a backbone… which, might I add, has become quite appealing to some the girls around the school." How could she possibly… "I heard it from some of the girls while I was walkin' around the park." She sounds scared of something. "If things continue like this…"

"I know that Carly." Don't get those bulgy eyes; I didn't even yell this time. "I know he's changing… but I don't understand it. He wants a new image… I get it, I really do, but… why did he have to change the way he acted with us?" If I can't show emotion to Carly who can I show it to? "Why did anything between us have to change at all? Why couldn't he be happy with what we had? I don't wanna lose him, he's our friend. That's the only reason I did what I did… and you know that." Despite all of that, he still… "We are supposed to be friends Carly, how can he just stop?" Phew, that was a mouthful.

"Sam, I don't think he _wants_ to stop being friends." Yeah right, then how would explain it? "Its like I said before, he doesn't feel that he deserves his treatment. I also don't think it's about an apology."

"Then what is it about, Oh wise one?" hope she caught the sarcasm,

"Simple, really, it's about change." If she caught it, I couldn't tell. The ever graceful Carly Shay. No wonder everyone likes her.

"So…" Here comes the hard part… changing a Shay's mind, "… I've got an idea to end this nonsense." Come on Carly, "So are you in?"

"No." minor set back

"You in?" add the smirk.

She's breakin' "Didn't you just ask me that?"

"Yep." Show her the pearly whites

"Fine… I'm in." I've still got it. Watch out Freddie this game ends soon. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. HAAA HA HA HA HA... "Sam, why are you laughing?"

"Because, kid… for the first time in a while… things are lookin up."

"O…K…" She's got that weird look on her face again. I wonder if she's afraid of me sometimes… Oh well "There is one condition Sam."

"What! You're killin my buzz."

"Chill out Sam… my condition is that if this plan doesn't work you have to apologize"

Harsh conditions but this plan has to work, "Fine, whatever, can I continue laughing now?"

"Sure." Yes, my joviality continues.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Haaaa ha ha ha ha ha. Hah hahahahahahaha…" Ready or not, Freddie… Here I come.

* * *

There you have it.

This chapter was more of a filler of sorts. There was some importance in it but no vitality. This is why I ended it on a bit of a lighter note (with maniacal laughter).

Some of you may be wondering about Sam's quick recovery from her first defeat. Well I figured that to keep her in character it would be best not to have her sulk about it for too long. So after a good night's sleep and a semi-hearty breakfast of a stick full of French toast, I assumed that she would be back in fighting form. Nothin too big has happened to completely shake her persona…yet. So to those of you Sam fans that didn't like her setback from the previous chapter, there is no need to worry. And to those who enjoyed Sam's just desserts, fret not those are coming as well.

Any ideas on what you think Sam's plan should/could be I would love to hear them.

Well, my lovely and faithful readers. I will leave you with that. Thank you for reading my humble little fic. Please review if you'd like (I hope you do), if not, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
Until my next post or Update  
Deuces

KL21


	9. Intelligence Gathering

Hey, hey fanfictioneers and fanfictionistas, KL21 here, finally, with an update for War Games.

It's been awhile and I know ur itchin to get into it so I won't hold you up.

So, I give you, Chapter Nine of War Games. Please read, enjoy, and review. Thank you.

* * *

Intelligence Gathering

**Freddie's POV**

I've never really been a winner. I've never thought of myself as a _loser_ but I can't really recall any times when I've actually won anything. I thought that my luck was changing when I won that school at sea thing but I ended up having to give it away… for her. It's pretty much been downhill from there.

That became evident at Gibby's party. My camera is pretty much trashed. Shane tried to salvage it but he called me right before I had to do iCarly. My own personal camera is now junk. I am now probably the laughing stock of the entire school. All of the progress that I've made since middle school… since I've started school… gone in one night. I have somehow found myself on the short list of guys that everyone wants to kill. No… not somehow, I know how. Sam, somehow, convinced all of these people that I had somehow done something to them. I'm now, fresh meat on the 'bully market' as Lance so eloquently phrased it. And I certainly didn't help myself by knocking a jock off the stage. I only hope he's not too hurt.

I've got no social life… thanks to Sam, no camera… thanks to Sam… indirectly, and now I have no safety in my own school for the next few months. She has gotten the best of me once again. I don't know how she manages to do it… but she always manages to win, and likewise, I always end up losing.

Until yesterday, that is. Something happened yesterday that I never expected to happen. I saw Sam freeze. She normally always has something to say… to anyone… at anytime. But yesterday when perfectly set up… she froze.

When I showed up to iCarly she seemed upset about something. I'm not sure what. She knew what the deal would be. I acknowledged her but I wasn't gonna treat her like a friend. We were… co-workers. Apparently she still didn't think I was serious. So I did my best to avoid getting wrapped up in her games. I tried to balance out the camera time but when I looked at Sam I couldn't smile, I couldn't laugh, I couldn't do anything. Not only because of the situation but also because I didn't want to instill any kind of hope in her or myself when I wasn't sure of it. The only thing worse that 'no hope' is false hope. So I kept a straight face until the midway point in the show. This was the real challenge.

Usually during this point in the show Sam gets a little… off, I guess you could say. Not that she's bad, but she just seems to lose that energy that she always has. Another thing that happens during this time is that Carly inexplicably sets her up and Sam delivers… every time… every show… like clockwork. And last night it came just as it always has. I didn't know what she was gonna come at me with but I knew that I couldn't falter. So I mentally braced myself and prepared to shrug off whatever comment she would make. So I decided to break one of the rules, I confronted her. I looked her right in the eyes and waited for it.

"_Is Freddie gonna put his face…"_ Our eyes locked. She hesitated, _"Is Freddie gonna…"_ Nothing. She froze. Carly had to end the show early. I called it and just stared at Sam. She looked like she had lost a part of herself. Carly sent me a look and I just nodded and left. I think I just beat Sam.

Now I have to be prepared for Sam's next move. I may have won last night but I didn't beat her. So she'll be over this pretty quickly. So I have to come up with a course of action.

What time is it? 11:02. I need information first… and food. I wonder what's in the kitchen. "Mom!" Hmm, that's strange. There's a note on the fridge.

_Dear Freddie Bear,_

_I was called into work early so  
I left some food for you in the  
refrigerator. I've noticed that  
over the last few days you haven't  
been eating regularly.  
A growing boy needs to eat, or else  
his leg hair won't grow. I also noticed  
that you haven't been using the  
tick lotion. Is something wrong? Does  
mommy need to take off of work and  
take care of my little Freddiebear?  
I hope so. I miss taking care of my  
little boy. I guess that's the price for  
growing up. Oh well, remember your  
tick lotion. And also remember, ticks  
and fleas means mommy's not  
pleased, fleas and ticks makes mommy  
sick. And check for leg hair._

_Love, Mommy_

I wonder if there is a registered psychologist in the area. I mean, I don't have ticks, I don't have fleas, I _do_ have leg hair, and I've been eating just fine… except for skipping the occasional dinner… and breakfast this morning. Well I suppose that she is only doing what she thinks is best… and she _is_ the only mother I've got so I should be grateful. Let's see what's in the fridge. Wheat germ toast? Asparagus? What is… Vegemite? Is this even food? Crap, there's nothing else here. I have to go to the store later. But for now I think I'm going to head to the Groovy Smoothie. I need to talk to Wendy and I know she's still there.

_Hola_

_I was hopin we could  
talk. U still at the GS?_

_TechMasterFreddie_

I figure I should still ask. She's become something of a professional informant ever since Carly and Sam convinced her to use her info gathering for good. Word around school is that Sunday is one of her busy days.

_Hi_

_Sure thing. But u may  
wanna wait til 11:30 tho.  
Sam's here. _

_GossipGirl_

Hmmm… ok so what time is it now. 11:15. Hmm… I'll be a little early but I should be able to avoid Sam for five minutes. So off I go.

Ok… here goes nothin'. C'mon Freddie it's just one tiny little gaze through the window. Good, Her backs to the window. Ok Freddie, gotta be quick and steady. In 5, 4, 3, 2… go.

Ok made it to the counter, now to let her know I'm here.

_Hey_

_Im here. _

_TechMasterFreddie_

Ok, now to get someone to watch and wait. Let's see… T-Bo. Perfect. Can't be too loud though. "Hey, T-Bo." No answer, Maybe a lil louder, "Hey… T-Bo." Still no answer, and I can't afford to get much louder without drawing her attention. Ummm… I know! I'll try knocking on the counter.

Argh… still nothin'. Hmmm… sugar packets. Maybe if I… "Hey! Who threw that?" Now a whistle and… finally. "What do you want?" well, somebody is certainly testy today, aren't they?

"I need you to tell me when Sam leaves."

"Who is Sam?" What?

"The girl that I'm always in here with."

"With the brown hair?"

"No, the other one."

"You mean the one at the table over there?" Dear Lord.

"Yeah."

"Ok I'll call her over and let her know you're here." Oh my God!

"T-Bo! T-Bo! Stop it! I'm tryin to avoid her!"

"You are?"

"Yes." I steal a glance over at her and notice that she's chewing on her hair. She usually only does that when she is hungry. Has she seriously not eaten yet? This whole thing is more serious than I thought. "Hey T-Bo. Could you do me another favor?" I gotta do something and she needs something to eat. "What're you sellin' on your stick today?"

"I got french toast and waffles." Hmm… it's not often that he actually has options.

Well, she does like powdered sugar, "Ok how much is the French toast?"

"7.50." Seven Fifty?

She won't pay that. I've got an idea, "Here's three dollars, take those to Sam and tell her to pay the difference." I'm forgetting something. "OH! Don't tell her that I paid for it." Ok now to wait for her to leave. They say the waiting is the hardest part, at the moment I'd have to agree.

_Hi_

_Ok shes gone.  
U can come over._

_GossipGirl_

Alright, the coast is clear. "Hey, Wendy." She must be upset about something. This is a weird silence. Ow! "What was that for?" She didn't have any apparent reason for hitting me.

"That was for showing up early and almost getting yourself killed." Well I suppose she's right. But regardless of the danger… I kinda liked the thrill. "Ok so what did you wanna talk about?' I guess we're getting right down to business.

"Well I kinda wanted to know what my standing was."

Why does she look so… disappointed? "Sorry, Freddie, but I already told you… I won't go on a date with you."

What? She didn't have a problem with it a couple of days ago. "No Wendy. I meant, my standing socially… at school." I certainly hope this doesn't become a thing. I've got enough to deal with as it is.

"Oh." You don't have to sound so relieved. "Well there's good news… and bad news..." Of course there is, "… and some news that I'm not really sure how you'll feel about." Hmm… well that's not vague at all. "Pick your poison." This type of thing is never really easy.

"Umm…" Well, might as well get it outta the way, "Bad news first."

"You got it." What could the good news even be. Maybe all of the jocks got stranded in downtown Seattle. Maybe, something even bigger happened and everyone has forgotten about me. Yeah, right. Like that could ever happen. No use even gettin' my hopes up.

"I've got news that you, Mr. Benson, have become public enemy number one." What nobody's had that spot since, "Thus, becoming the first to hold that spot since Mike Taylor." He wasn't even a nerd.

There is no distinction between the classes when it comes to being an enemy of a particular group. Mike Taylor was the running back for the football team when I was a freshman and he was a junior. Not sure what they did to him, but he ended up transferring all the way to some school in Yakima. "This came as a result of what's going on between me and Sam!" Sam couldn't be that cold blooded… even if she hates me.

"No, it came as a result of what you did to that jock at Gibby's party." Oh… oh no…

"How bad is the damage?" I don't even know why I asked that question. It was bad enough to earn me a special place amongst the hate of the jocks.

With my luck I probably… "He has a broken humerus and a dislocated shoulder." Oh no… no, no, no, no, no. "He's not playin sports again til college." Well, I suppose it's time to look into new homes now. Since graduation is only about a month and a half away, they will probably try to make my life as miserable as possible. This is getting pretty heavy. I can't stave off the whole entire school. "According to my information…" I can't take anymore of this.

"Didn't you say that there was good news!" Oh great. Probably the only person who is willing to help me, and I'm yelling at her, "Sorry Wendy, it's just a lot to try to take in at this point." Ok, she's smiling. I hope that means she understands, "So… Let's try this again. Is there any good news?" That worked out a little better.

"As a matter of fact there is." That is a really nice PearPod, "There has an increase in the number of girls who want to know of your availability." An increase?

"How much of an increase?" Why is she smirking at me?

"The actual number has been about 20 percent." Not bad, "However, I figure there are only a few of them that you would be interested in."

"Why is that?"

"Because, most of the people who have shown an interest are juniors." Oh. "Of the seniors who have asked…" There were seniors? "I figure there are only three or four that are worthy of any serious note." Hmm.

"And who, pray tell, would that be?" I am curious. While this doesn't negate my bad news, it is, still, a welcome distraction.

"Well, there was Tanya Samuels." Hmm. Not really my thing. She has a bad reputation, almost as bad as Kayla's, if not worse than Kayla's. This is something like her second or third year as a senior, and while I no longer follow the outline of the 'Freddie Benson Master Plan' as closely as I used to, it _was_ my mom's plan after all, I'm not sure if she would fit into anybody's plan at this point. "There was also Lisa Preston." Lisa Preston?

"Why is she noteworthy?" the name is familiar but I don't know where I've heard it before.

"She talked to you at the party. She came up about fifteen minutes after Tanya finished talking to you." Wait I don't remember any Lisa. Lisa… Lisa… oh.

**Back at the party**

"_Hey Freddie!" Who is this, now? "Hey Freddie!"Never even seen her before._

"_Hey! Listen I'm kind of bu…"_

"_I know, I know, but I just wanted to talk to you." To me? Why?_

"_O…k…" I suppose if she went to the trouble of getting up here, I suppose that I could spare a minute or two._

"_Great, I ummm… heard what happened… with you and Sam." This again?_

"_Look, I understand that, for whatever reason you may not like me but could you please not bother me at this moment. There will be plenty of time for that…"_

"_No, no, no, Freddie. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about your whole mess you're in. I know how it feels to have everyone turn on you. The same thing happened to me at my old school, SeaPoint High School." Ok. Well maybe she isn't all bad. "So if you ever need anyone to talk to…" What's with her eyes? Wait. Is she flirting with me? Naw it couldn't be. No one who knows my situation could, possibly, want to be associated with me. "Be sure to give me a call, and don't keep me waiting too long."_

**The Present**

"I remember now." Maybe I should give her a call. "Well, thanks Wendy that, actually made things a little better."

"Glad I could help."

"Wait… didn't you say there were _three_ noteworthy people."

She seems kind of nervous. "Well… that goes into the news that I'm not really sure about." She seems really nervous for some reason.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah… I'm just a little worked up about what I'm about to say."

"Well, you don't have to worry about what I think."

"Oh, I'm not… I'm more worried about the person who the information is about." Well, now I'm extra curious about who else asked about me. "Promise me that you won't tell this person that I told you that they asked me about you." What? "Promise me Freddie!"

"Ok, ok, just calm down." There are only a couple of people that could get her this worked up. "Take a few deep breaths." There's Mrs. Briggs. Never understood it, but she's always been kind of irked by Mrs. Briggs, "You feel better?" And then there's…

"It was Sam." Why would Sam ask about me. What is she planning? Is she trying to find a weakness? No, she knows most of those already. Maybe she's just findin out who is interested in me so she can scare them off as well. That sounds more to the point.

"What did she want?"

"I can't get into specifics. Client confidentiality." Perfect, just plain... perfect. "Freddie… maybe… you should talk to Sam."

"What!"

"Well, I think that maybe you should talk to Sam. She's seemed cold and distant. Every time I've seen her, she seemed… I don't know… closed off." Sam… closed off?

"What are you talkin about?"

"Well when I saw her at Gibby's party she seemed to keep to herself a lot. I didn't get a chance to talk to her, but I did get to observe."

"Why were you watching Sam?"

"Because, after that whole lunchtime fiasco, I've been a little… wary of her." That's understandable. "… but I noticed that she really isn't herself. She's not… as… vibrant as she has been."

"I just don't understand it."

"What's there to understand? She's normally the life of the party. Remember Randy Fisher's party, it was pretty lame until you guys showed up and Sam decided that it would be fun to move the party to the giant hill in the park and have shopping cart races down the hill."

"Yeah, she made me and Gibby steal the cart from 'Hey Food,'… and made me go first."

"Yeah, and at the end of the day, Bobby Johnson had a broken arm, but it was the best time any of had ever had." It really was. I even beat Shane in a cart race.

I almost beat Sam, but she hit me with a stick. "Well this weekend she didn't do anything. She hung around the snack table. She didn't eatl that much… or at all, really. She didn't talk to very many people. Talked to Carly once or twice, but that's it."

I didn't even see her, and I filmed the party. Wait… why are we talking about this? "Actually, what I meant was that I don't understand how I became her favorite target."

"Well, I'm not sure but there be a couple of things that go into that." Her thinking face is weird. Why is she poking her lip out like that, "First, maybe, she can't really get close to anyone. Maybe, everyone who she's ever gotten close to has managed to turn on her without any clear reason. So in order to combat that, everybody else, who gets close to her, has to go through this gauntlet or torture. That way, when they leave she can justify it by saying 'Well I treated them awful… that's why they left'." Is that why she's treated me like crap for the better part of my lifetime? Did she want to get rid of me? "It's better to be abandoned for a reason than to just be abandoned."

She was protecting herself… from me? "The second reason: maybe it's something like a test." A test for what? To see how long before the subject cracks?

"A test for what?"

"Sam knows that she is a tough girl. So anyone that she associates with has to be tough. You know the story of how her and Carly met. Carly fought back and proved that she could be just as tough when she had to be." That actually makes sense. But there is one thing missing.

"I generally haven't ever fought back. Why is she still messing with me? I would've thought that she would just give up on me and leave me alone." Well, more like hoped, but let's not murk this up with details.

There's that weird face again. "I think…" yeah, we can all tell that you're thinkin, "That may be due to the fact that you kept goin' back." That Whole Carly situation has hurt me in more ways than one, "You still haven't proven yourself, but, by returning, you may have given her the impression that you still want to." Prove myself?

I thought that cuffing her to Gibby would've shown her that I was willing to fight back. Why isn't that enough? What more can I do?

I think I'm doing it. This has to be it, because, this is my last ditch effort. "So lemme get this straight. I've chosen to distance myself from her. Now, while it can't be known whether or not she cares, she seems affected by _something_ that's going on. Now, assuming that it is what I'm doing that is affecting her, she could see it one of two ways. One, she could think I'm doing it to get away from her, or, two, she could think that fighting back to earn her approval."

"Yep. Seems that way."

"But there is another problem. Both of those actions have very different consequences. One way, I'm with Sam. Well not _with_ Sam, but, you know, friends again." I would _like_ to be _with_ Sam, but again, probably best not to muddy this up with details. "But the other way…"

"Freddie, it doesn't have to happen that way. Just talk to her." She's makin that face again. I wonder if it varies with the degree of whatever she's thinkin about. "I can't tell you everything, but I _can_ tell you that… she still considers you a friend."

That's very different from what she told me. "She cares about you more than she lets on… so maybe you should try to smooth this over… not give in, but reach an agreement… be friends again."

I would like that… I would _love_ that, but at this point, I don't know how any type of negotiations would go. She's volatile and I'm on edge. That type of thing would surely end in an explosion of violence and rage.

But… I think… "Freddie, can I ask you something?" At the end of the day… "Do you feel the same way?"

It would all be worth it. "Yeah… I do"

If we could, all, be: Carly, Sam, and Freddie, again, "I really do." It would be totally worth it.

Now the question is… how can I get there?

* * *

Well there you have it.

Not quite sure how I feel about it. It was really long. It feels a lil rough. But my thoughts mean absolutely nothing. Yours, however, mean the world to me. Tell me what you think, even if you hated it… expecially if u hated it. Then I would be able to make it better just for you guys.

Ok, now time for some promotions. First I would like to recommend that you all read Back in Seattle by Pigwiz… It's sure to have you on the edge of your seats… or wherever you're reading from. I would also like to thank Tech-man, Pigwiz, and Axel100. They give me a lot of help and catch a lot of my mistakes. I would also like to put you guys on notice for a new fic about Sam and Freddie having to go six months without arguing… no title yet but you'll know it when you see. So I think that ends my brief stint of promotions.

Thanks for reading my fic. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Review if you'd like. I hope you do. If not thank you for reading anyway.  
Until next post or update,  
Deuces  
KL21


	10. Covert Operation

Hey hey. KL21 here with chapter 10 of War Games. I know it took a lot longer than you expected but I have been workin on this since I posted chapter nine.

But enough of that. You guys know the drill so I won't hold you up any longer.

I give you Chapter ten of War Games: Covert Operation.

* * *

Covert Operation

"Well, if you wanna make things right again, then you know what you need to do." She's right, this whole thing is stupid.

"You're right Wendy, and thanks." I suppose I should try to find Carly and set up a meeting with Sam, "What do I owe ya?"

"Well for the advice and information… nothing." Hmm. That's pretty generous, "However…" of course, "for having me live in fear for the past couple of days… ten bucks." That's fair. "Thanks and good luck."

I don't know exactly how I'm gonna arrange this but I can worry about that some other time.

"Hey Freddie!" Who is that? "Heeeey!" part of me wants it to be Sam. In fact, all of it wants it to be Sam. But of course… it isn't. Some chick with black hair, and skin that is a bit more tanned than I'm used to seeing. Where does a person get a tan like that in Seattle? I mean the sun doesn't shine all that much. Hmmm…I got this feelin' that I've seen her somewhere before. Her eyes are really big too… almost grey but not really. Hazel, maybe? I don't know I suppose it isn't really all that important.

"Uhh… hey." I'm not really used to people comin up to me in public. I'm usually behind the camera.

"Don't you recognize me? It's Lisa… from the party?"

"Oh, sorry. Got a lot on my mind. What's up?"

"Just out for a lil stroll. You know, you never called me." Huh… something is a lil off with this girl.

"Sorry. I've been a little preoccupied." She has a pretty smile. Just a little creepy… but pretty nonetheless.

"That's ok. How 'bout you make it up to me by spending the rest of the day with me?" I suppose it couldn't hurt.

"Ok, but I can only hang out for a couple of hours, then, I have to do some stuff for the website."

"Cool, so how about we head to the park? I heard about an area in the back of the park. It's supposed to be good for clearing your mind."

I know that area. I hear that if you don't give the head hobo any food then things can get pretty chippy. I suppose I should get somethin' for him. I wonder if Rufus is still the leader. Last time, Gibby didn't give him anything to eat and he had Jo-Jo and Left-Eye follow him around and poke him, and then they covered him in honey and bread crumbs. The birds and ants ate good that day. He hasn't been to the park since. What is his favorite food? I guess I can ask Carly, she's been spending a lot of time there lately.

_Hola_

_What does Rufus like to eat?  
is he even still n-charge?  
Need 2 clear my head._

_TechMasterFreddie_

"Ok, Lisa, how bout we head to the store first? Gotta fend off the hoboes." She looks confused. But if she's from Seattle then she should know about the hoboes at the park. Maybe, she just moved here or somethin'.

"Sure thing." There's that smile again but something is off about it. It's not overtly evil like Sam's smile is, but it isn't overwhelmingly sweet like Carly's. It's a very… sneaky smile. Is she up to something? "What's wrong, Freddie?" I must've given her a look.

"Uhh… nothin'." Hopefully she'll buy that but I better not look at her. Sam says that I'm not a good enough liar to do it when I'm directly interacting with someone. However, she has said that I can sound convincing enough to lie over the phone. Of course, she also said that I could never lie to her, that she would always know when I was lying. I'm pretty sure it was a bluff though. "Let's get a move on… gotta get to the park before the skeevy hoboes come out." I think I got her…

"Ok." Played her like a video game.

Well it won't do any good walking to the store in silence, "So how long have you been in Seattle? I don't remember seeing you around the school."

"Well, I transferred to Ridgeway at the beginning of this semester. It was a little rough but, I figure that you rarely keep the friends you make in high school anyway." Wow that's really sad. It must've been really rough leaving everything behind like that, and then she'll have to do it again at the end of this semester.

"So where'd you transfer from?"

"Across town at SeaPoint High." That's a weird name.

"I've never heard of…"

"it's a small private school near Lake Washington."

"Why'd you transfer?"

"Well there was a small situation at my old school. One thing led to another and I just figured that I needed a fresh start, even if it would only be for a semester."

"I've had that feeling before."

"What do you mean _had_?"

"Well, there have been times where the things I have gone through felt like too much for me to take. I felt like running away. From everything… from school, my mom, Carly, Sam, my mom, tick baths, wheat germ, my mom, teachers that are jerks, the craziness of being semi-famous… sometimes it was just a lot to deal with."

"You said your mother, like, two or three times."

"You don't know my mother. Nor do you want to."

Finally at the store. Still no text from Carly. Oh well. Last I remember, Rufus liked Fiber O's. So I should get him some of those. "Ok, Lisa, follow me to the cereal aisle."

Ugh… why do they have to be on the top shelf? There has to be someone here who can help. Ahh, there is someone with a Sir-Foods-A-Lot vest. "Excuse me… could you get the Fiber O's off of the top shelf for me please?"

"Do I look like I work here?"

"Well you have on the vest."

"Whatever man, there's the step ladder." He points all the way down to the step ladder at the other end of the aisle, "have at it." Well he's certainly getting a complaint from me. As a matter of fact I have a better idea.

But for now, I apparently have to get the cereal off of the top shelf

"Ok… Lisa, can you please hold onto my phone? I don't want anything to happen to it while I'm up here foolin' around with the top shelf."

What was the deal with that guy? I've got no business up here on the top shelf and I can't believe that idiot would let me climb up here. Part of me _wants_ to fall down, break a leg and sue this place. If I do, I'm naming names and that guy will never work in another store of any kind ever again. That would show him.

"Freddie, you've got a message from…" That must be Carly.

"What does it say?"

"Hi FreddieBear," Oh no, "If you could, please go to the drug store and pick up ointment for your rash. And more tick lotion. Love My FreddieBear." The Universe won't rest I've suffered so much humiliation that my body tries to collapse on itself to hide from the world. "So you really have…"

"I don't have ticks!" I don't believe that she did that, "Nor a rash!"

"Oh, you have another one." I can hear the giggle's in her voice. It's a pretty laugh. Or at least it sounds like she would have a pretty laugh. I mean she wasn't actually laughing.

"Who's it from?"

"Umm… Carly." Phew.

"What's it say?"

"Hey Freddie, Rufus isn't in charge any more. Spanky found a pizza." Aww, Rufus was my favorite hobo. He didn't smell as bad as the other ones did. And I got these stupid Fiber O's for nothin'.

"Did she say what the new guy likes?"

"Umm… Oh, she says he likes blueberry muffins."

"What kind of uppity hobo develops a taste for muffins?"

"Umm, Freddie? How does a hobo come to take control over such a large group?"

"I've always wondered, but I've never asked. If there is one thing you learn when living here: it's that you stay out of hobo politics." It's very complex. I swear, there should be a class on it. Not in a college or anything, but in like a community center or something.

"Ok. How about you go and get the muffins and I will go get a couple of bottles of water for us. The water at the park is far too overpriced." I wonder what the rush is.

I guess she's just eager to get to the park. "Ok sounds good. Water's on aisle four. Shouldn't be too long, so just wait for me there."

"I've got a better idea. How about I meet you at the register?"

She _is_ in a rush. I wonder why, "O… k… I guess that's…"

"Good now go get 'em."

Well that was certainly strange. I mean, why would she be so eager to get to an abandoned area of the park? Even more so, considering that it is overrun with hoboes. It really doesn't make sense but I suppose with everything else that has spun crazy and outta control in my life, one more crazy person can't hurt. Ok I got the muffins. I guess I'll head to the register now.

"Hey Freddie," Ahh. There she is, "You left your phone with me. Here ya go."

"Thanks."

Now that we're checked out and such, I guess it's on to the park. This day hasn't been so bad. Met a new girl, she's a little weird but no worse than anyone else who's in my life right now. In fact she seems to lean more towards normal than most of the other girls I know.

"So, Freddie… how are you gonna handle this whole thing between you and Sam?" That seems kinda personal. Should I tell her?

Well she _did_ say something about goin through a similar situation at her old school, if I remember correctly. I suppose it couldn't hurt to get a second opinion, "Well I was thinkin about tryin to meet with her and talk out our problems."

"What made you come to that decision?"

"Well despite all the trauma she has caused me… she's still a friend. She's been my friend for as long as I can remember, and I don't wanna lose her over something as stupid as a date that probably wouldn't have gone well in the first place." That's not the whole truth, but I figure she doesn't really need to know the depth of my feelings for Sam. "Despite everything she has done to me, and it has been a lot, I still consider her my best friend. I don't want to lose her. I still…" Crap, almost let it go there. Gotta reign it in, "I still want her to be a part of my life."

"If she was just a friend, then why would you endure what she's made you endure? Best friends don't do that type of stuff to their friends. It just doesn't make any sense to stick around for that kind of abuse… unless…" I don't like the sound of that, "… unless…" I don't like the look on her face, "Unless your feelings for Sam are more than 'just friends' feelings."

"I don't know what you're talkin about."

Just like that… her eyes light up, and I know I'm caught… "So, are you gonna tell me or does this actually have to turn into a thing?"

"No, we're just friends."

"Look at me Freddie. Look me in the eye and say that."

Crap… "Fine I like her, alright. For a couple of years now. So, through every prank, every physical abuse, through every emotional smack in the face, I've stayed hopin that one day she would feel the same way about me."

"You deserve better Freddie."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is… you deserve someone who is going to care about you just as much as you care about them." But Sam does care… doesn't she? "and before you jump in, I know that you care about Sam. But don't you think you deserve to be cared about too? Don't you think that you deserve to have your affection returned instead of thrown back in your face and mocked, mercilessly? Because I do Freddie, I believe that you deserve someone who is going to care about you just as much as you care about them."

"But… Sam does care… sometimes. She just has a different way of showing that she cares."

"Oh really? How?"

"How?"

"Yeah. How does she show that she cares about you?"

"Well she stands up for some people… when she isn't the one hurting them. She is very dedicated to paying off her debts… once she finds out that they exist. The debts, I mean."

"That's great for those people. But what about you?"

What about me? I don't remember her ever standing up for me. Wait she did try to pay me back that one time, "I'm in the group of people she paid back."

"It was just _you_ she owed? And no one else?"

"Well, no. She owed Carly, too. We summed the total."

"Mm-Hmm. And do you think that she would have paid you back if she didn't owe Carly?"

I don't know. I don't have an answer. I'm trying to defend her… but I can't think of anything else. At least nothing that doesn't sound too crazy. I mean… I suppose that it is within the realm of possibility that she has been fending bullies off in secret… but, like I said, that would just be crazy.

Besides, if she was… Why would she have to hide it? Lord knows, it wouldn't hurt my pride or dignity. My mom saw to that a long time ago. And Sam doesn't really hide it, when she beats people up. As a matter of fact she takes pride in it. No, I'm pretty sure she isn't beating up anyone.

"Freddie… listen. I know we just met, and I don't even know Sam, but it seems that you're at the bottom of her list of important people… if you're even on it at all." She's right I'm probably not on that list. Not that Sam even took the time to make one. In fact I'm pretty sure she didn't.

"I know, but that's another issue I was hoping to resolve. I was hoping that this whole thing would show her how it is without me around… maybe make her…" Saying it out loud would just sound stupid.

"You're trying to make Sam miss you?"

I was right it does sound stupid. Sam doesn't need me. "I was. What can I say? I'm a dreamer."

We're finally at the park. Now to find… Scrappy? Sappy? Strappy? Spanky? Yeah that's it, Spanky. Now the general rule is… that: you don't find the hoboes the hoboes find you. So I guess we'll just…

"Umm… Freddie?" Huh?

"Hey let her go!"

"I'm sure you know the rules kid. You've found your way to our part of the park. That means that you owe us a little somethin'. Otherwise, we'll have to take somethin' else."

"You must be Spanky." He looked like a standard hobo. Smelled like a standard hobo. Dressed… like a standard hobo. The only thing different about him was his hair. It was still gray but it had a few streaks of black mixed in. the weirdest thing, though, is that his hair is slicked back. Like James Bond, slicked back. I don't know how he got his hair to do that… and I certainly wasn't about to ask.

"I see my reputation precedes me." Weird, scratchy throat. I wonder if he has a cold or if that's just the way he talks. "Well then… you know how this works. Watcha got?"

"Well I've got a four blueberry muffins… and a box of Fiber O's." What? I had already gotten them down. I wasn't gonna climb that stupid step ladder again and put them back on the top shelf.

"Yeah… that's a pretty good haul. It'll go very well with the stuff that other girl gave us." The organizational skills of hoboes, fascinates me. He was obviously the leader. He had two guys with him… it seemed that they were his right-hand men. He didn't eat the food right away so that would mean that they had a place to put it so that they could eat it later. Hmm… these hoboes are a lot more organized than Rufus' hoboes were. Oh well, none of my concern.

I wonder who the other person was that gave them food before. Probably Carly. Maybe she can help me find… "Sam."

"Sam? Where?"

There she was. Over by the gate in front of the old river. She's staring at her phone. Must've gotten a bad call or something. Well here goes nothin'.

"Wait. Freddie I want you to keep your expectations realistic." What does she mean? "Remember… she turned everyone against you. She wanted to see you fall and she wants to watch you squirm."

"Look that'll all change once we smooth things out."

Ok here goes nothin', "Hey Carly. Sam… can I talk to you for…"

"What do you want fudge-wad!"

"Sam, calm down. I just wanted to say…"

"Look! I've got nothing to say to you! You've obviously made it clear how you feel about everything!"

"Sam that's what I wanna talk about."

"There's nothing left to talk about! You just be ready for whatever's gonna come down on you!"

"Sam."

"And trust me, Loser… When it comes down, it's gonna come down hard! Maybe _then_ you'll wish I was there."

And with that she's gone. "Freddie."

"Carly, what was…"

"Freddie, I don't know what game you were playing, but I sure hope that it was worth it." And with that, she was gone with her.

What just happened? I came here wishing to end this whole thing because it's not worth it. Then she blows up at me because of it. There's no way she's forgotten what she did to me. Not just with Kayla, but with the jocks and the bullies. What gives her the right to blow up at me?

Still through all of it…

'_Maybe then you'll wish I was there._'

I do wish she was here...

I've always wished she was here.

* * *

Well there it is.

Umm… I don't think there is any pressing matter that needs to be addressed.

Thank you to: Tech-man, Pigwiz, JamesTheGreater, and Axe100. You should give their stories a gander. They will not disappoint: especially the main attractions:

Back in Seattle – Pigwiz  
iJust Don't Know – Tech-man  
JamesTheGreater – The Seddie Zone

I believe that is all for this chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Review if you'd like (I hope you do), if not Thank you guys for takin the time to read my humble little fic.  
Until next time  
Deuces  
KL21


	11. Set Up

Hey hey guys. KL21 here.

I know (re: hope) you guys are probably anxious to get to this chapter so I'll step outta your way and let you guys enjoy.

I give you Chapter 11 of War Games, "Set Up." Please, read and enjoy.

* * *

Set Up

**Sam's POV**

"Hey Sam… what's up?"

How could she even ask that? "You know what's up, Carls."

"Sam, I think you should be sure about it before you jump to conclusions."

"Who else could it have been? You saw it."

"I know that Sam but… something feels off about it."

"Yeah whatever…"

"…"

"…"

I wonder what she's thinking. It could be anything. She could be thinking about that text I got. It was a very weird text. It shook me more than it should… something about it _did_ seem off but I can't put my finger on it. She could be thinking about her hair. It's to be expected after what happened to Spencer. Though, I still think she's overreacting. She could be thinking about Freddie.

I just found out, from our talk in the park, that he got accepted to three different colleges: Stanford, UCLA, and UC Berkeley. You know what those three schools have in common? All of them are in California. You know what _that_ means? They're not in Seattle, or even in the state of Washington. You want to know what _else_ these schools have in common? I don't have a snowball's chance of getting in to any of those colleges. That's right. He's leaving… for good… leaving us… leaving me… for good… and this is how he's going to end it all.

Why he'd want to end it this way, is far beyond me, but I suppose there's nothing I can do about that. I just wish that… I don't really know what I wish. I want him to succeed… but at the cost of our friendship? Could I really give it up? Could I really give _him_ up? Ugh… I'm thinking too much. Is Carly still on the phone?

"Hello?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Ok…" still, nothing to say.

She must be thinking about her role in my plan. To be honest I was gonna have her help me with a prank… but she refused to be a part of anything that would hurt him… stupid conscious and morals. The worst part about it was that it was already out there so I couldn't just take the request back. Now I have to figure out a role that she could play.

"Sam?" why does she sound so uncertain?

"Yeah?"

"…" why is she so quiet?

Maybe if I put a little more force behind it, "Yeah?"

"…"

She did say something, right? Am I losing my mind? I can't be losing my mind. If I'm going up against the nub then I have to be at my best.

"Carly? Did you call me?"

"Yeah..." phew… at least I'm not going crazy.

"What's on your mind, kid?"

"…" not again. "It's nothing."

"What?"

"Did Washington or Washington State respond?" what a crappy subject change.

Why would she bring this up after what we talked about? "Nothing from State… but I got wait listed to Washington."

"Well that _technically_ a yes." way to rub it in, Shay, "If enough people don't respond or decide to go elsewhere then they'll accept you."

I should be grateful, even for that. At the beginning of this year any university accepting me was absolutely out of the question. Come to think of it, I was a long shot, to get into a two year school. But I won't show any gratitude… I won't be grateful for getting considered for Washington, because then, I'd have to be grateful to him... grateful for… him.

"Sam?"

"Yeah."

"I'm proud of you." how could I continue to brood after that?

"Thanks kid." Ok back to business. I guess I could have her play the guilt card. She's good for it, even when she doesn't mean to be. I could only imagine how effective it is when she's using it on purpose. "Hey… wanna know your part in my plan?"

"I already told you that I wouldn't be involved in any violence against our friend."

"I know, I know. This is a strictly non-violent role."

"I'm listening." Atta girl.

"All I need you to do is make Freddie feel guilty. Make him second guess himself… make him hesitate… That'll give me all the time I need."

"Time? What time? Time for what? What exactly are you planning to do?"

Oh Carly, ever the worry wart, "Don't you worry your pretty head about that."

"Sam, I already told you that I wouldn't help you if your plan involved hurting Freddie."

"Well, _technically_, you said that you wouldn't help me hurt Freddie, but your part isn't _hurting_ Freddie your part is making him feel guilty." That's right Shay, loopholes are awesome.

"But Saaaam…" Whining won't work this time.

"Nope, you already agreed to help me… but if you want to back out now, and break your promise, thus, throwing away ANY hope you had of me apologizing to Freddie… then go ahead." Come on Carls… you know you can't play hardball with the big boys…

try as you might… "Fine." You'll fold every time.

"Awesome, you'll start tomorrow when you see him at school."

"Fine, I gotta run, I'll talk to ya later."

"Ok see ya."

There, that settles that part. With Freddie being distracted by Carly and his guilt, he won't possibly be able to fight with me.

Now… I need a patsy… a 'fall' guy… Who's it gonna be? I could get Gibby, but he's been busy lately, and he's developed some sense of dignity. I don't know how he did that but I'll beat it out of him later… for now… he's useless to me. And most of the dependable AV nerds already work with Freddie. So who does that leave? Man… I wish Rodney wasn't in Juvie. Oh well… I need someone… who's got nothin' to lose. Someone smart enough to handle menial tasks, but dumb enough to follow me unquestioningly… someone's who will make the perfect pawn…. I got it!

Come on, pick up. "Hello?"

"Hey. It's Sam."

"Sam!" he seems excited, "Well, feed a kangaroo with two blueberry pies." What? "How are the socks hangin' on the…" Enough of this nonsense.

"Hey do us both a favor here. Don't talk, just listen, and answer with a yes or no." This is gonna save us a lot of time and frustration. "Do you… _understand_?"

"Well of… I mean, yes." Good.

"Good… now, as you know, I pick an unlucky target for the end of the year prank."

"Ye-"

"Not finished." What an idiot. "Anyway… Since I'm graduating, this one is gonna be big. The enormity of this prank requires some assistance." Good he isn't saying anything… he'll make a perfect lackey. "So, would you like to help me?"

"Of course."

"Good… meet me in the hallway when the lunch bell rings. I'll instruct you further there."

"Ok."

"Oh… before I forget. Bring a jar of mayonnaise, a bottle of honey, and some super glue."

"Ok."

"And now that you are, for all intents and purposes, working for me; I'll need you to refer to me as ma'am.

"Yes ma'am."

"That's a good boy, now get to it."

Good. I've got my lackey/fall guy. I've got my distraction. Now all that's left is to… Who's calling me now? Why is _he_ calling me?

"What?"

"Well hello to you too, Sam."

The nerve of this guy, "NO! My friends call me Sam! My enemy's and future victims call me Samantha! We're not anything anymore, remember?"

"Yeah…" listen to him, trying to sound all pitiful. "Yeah I remember well enough, that's what I wanted to talk about."

"I already told you… there's nothing left to talk about!" How dare he even remember the number to this phone, and call me. "I heard what you have to say, loud and clear!"

"But…"

"Save your buts for the toilet seat!" yeah… that shut him up. "Listen to me Fredward. It's bad enough that you said what you said. But to call up hoping to end anything, while you pretend nothing happened… That's insulting… it's infuriating… it's demeaning… and I will not put up with it!"

"Sam, I swear. I have no idea what you're talking about." Ugh… fine if you're gonna play that way…

"You know what? I don't have time for this. How about you call me when you have an idea _and_ an apology."

"Sam wa-" waste of my time.

He thinks he can just call up here, sounding all pathetic? What? That's supposed to make me forgive him? Sorry bub… it ain't that easy.

Not after what he said…

"_Are you done laughing yet, Sam?"_ I couldn't help it. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. Even better, it was a light that had me standing victorioius.

"_Awww, you're no fun."_

"_Joke all you want, but if this doesn't get fixed before the year is over you may run out of time."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Well… "_

"_What?"_

"_I don't know if I shou-"_

"_Tell me!"_

"_Freddie got accepted to some pretty good schools."_

"_So? What does that have to do wi-"_

"_They're all in California!"_

"_WHAT!"_

"_Yeah, he was gonna tell you but you weren't around when he got the acceptance letters. Besides that, when he told me that he was accepted, he also told me that he was probably gonna go to UW just so we could all remain close."_

"…" I was speechless. Would he really do that?

"_I haven't heard where he's gonna go now."_

"_Now?"_

"_Well yeah. With this whole rift between you two, I find it hard to imagine that he'll stay here."_

"_Well, what schools in California did he get accepted to?"_

"_Stanford, UCLA, and UC Berkley."_

"_What's UC Berkley?"_

"_Seriously?"_

"…" What does she want from me? I've never heard of the place.

"_It's Cal, Sam."_

"_No chizz!"_

"_SAM!"_

"_Sorry, sorry, relax, relax."_ Well, to be fair, nobody actually calls it UC Berkley. Freddie doesn't even use the name, UC Berkley.

"…"

"_Besides, even if he and I are still fighting, do you think he would leave _you_ behind too?"_

"_Well…"_

"_I mean… we're a trio, shouldn't his friendship with you be enough to keep him in Seattle? Shouldn't iCarly be enough to, at least, stall his decision?"_

"_You still don't get it, do you?"_

"_Get what?"_

"_I know you're not dumb, so I'm gonna assume that you're just ignoring the past three years."_

"_Wha- What are you talkin' about, _three years_?"_

"_When Freddie won the School at Sea thing, what did you think would happen to iCarly?"_

"_Well…"_

"_Did you think that Freddie would, somehow, film us while he was in some random location on the planet? Did you think that we would just plug in some random guy and show him the ropes, and everything would go along just fine, as if he were never there? Did you forget that we tried that once before with, less than satisfactory, results?"_

"_Well, that's why he decided to stay."_ I wasn't stupid. I knew all of that… I still do.

"_Really, Sam? Really? Are you gonna stand there and tell me that you believed that crock?"_

"_Crock?"_

"_Yes… crock."_

"_Well it's the truth. You said it yourself. We can't do the show without him. It's the perfect reason."_

"_That's just _it_, Sam. If he knew the show couldn't run without him then why would he sign up in the first place? If he knew he would be leaving us behind why would he sign up at all?"_

I should have known where this was going.

"_You know as well as I know, that it wasn't until _you_ went to him, that he reconsidered going. He believed _you_, even when I didn't… and he gave his trip up for _you._"_

"…" Speechless yet again. I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it. For me? Yeah right.

"_iCarly wasn't enough... I wasn't enough… You were… I'm not sure how long, but since then… it's always been you."_

"_I won't promise an apology… but I will try to work it out… but he has to contact me… I do have an image to maintain, after all."_

And that's when it happened,,, When the whole game changed. That's when I got a text that would change the fabric of this fight.

Sam  
I've had enough  
you pushed me  
too far I've made  
my decision and it  
doesn't involve  
you. Have a nice  
life

"_Who's it from, Sam?"_

"_Freddie."_ I was right all along.

"_Sam? What's wrong? What's it say?"_ I handed the phone to her in a hollow victory.

"_Looks like you were wrong, Shay."_

"_What?" _I watched as she read it._ "There's gotta be somethin' wrong. That doesn't sound like…"_ Apparently he wasn't done, because Carly soon got a text of her own.

Hi Carly  
I've got a date on  
Tuesday nite. I was  
wondering if you  
could help me get  
ready for it. Thanks.

"_This… this can't be right."_

"_Lemme see."_

"_Sam wait…"_ I snatched the phone, searching for a confirmation of what I was already certain of.

Sure enough, it was from him, and it was all the confirmation I needed. _"Well I suppose that's what the case is."_

"_Sam, Freddie wouldn't say those things. Freddie wouldn't just…"_

"_Read the phones Carly! Read those words! They say what they say! It's not speculation! It's not word of mouth! It's not hearsay! It's comin' straight from the horse's mouth!"_

"_Sam…"_

"_No, Carly! I don't wanna hear it anymore! However, he used to feel, it's obvious that he doesn't feel that way anymore!"_

"_Sam… let me talk to him and find out what's going on!"_

"_Do what you want… but it won't change what he said. You were wrong Carls."_

She was wrong. She _is_ wrong. Freddie, apparently, _has_ moved on. Which is fine, I suppose… It was bound to happen sooner or later. But to end it the way he did… that was just… unthinkable. Not even _I_ would have ended it like that.

Friends for five years… well… three years… but that's still a long time. To end our friendship via text message, that's gutless… that's spineless… that's… it's heartless.

"_and he gave his trip up for _you._"_

I can't believe that I thought that it was actually for me_._

"_iCarly wasn't enough…"_

I can't believe that I wanted it to be.

"… _I wasn't enough… You were…"_

I can't believe how wrong Carly was… how wrong we both were.

"… _it's always been you."_

I can't believe that I wish she was right.

* * *

Well there you have it. The long awaited return of this fic.

Big thanks to pigwiz, The Earl of Sandwich, and axel100… for their encouragement in the completion of this chapter. It is due to them that this chapter exists at all. So a big thanks to them.

Thanks to all of you who still want to read this fic and haven't given up on it. Please tell me what ya think. Even if you decide not to review… thank you guys for reading. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

If you want to read other fantastic stuff from the Cabal, then shoot on over to their pages and check them out:

aussiemma… axel100… BaalRules… BoxOfTrinkets… boxofpiglets… Coyote Laughs… ItalianBabexo8… iCabal… iCarlyangst… iLuvNathanKrEsS… JamesTheGreater… KingxLeon21… Myjumpingsocks… ober22… pairababes… Pieequals36… pigwiz… Tech-Man… The Earl of Sandwich… xXACCEBXx

I promise you won't be disappointed.

Well that about wraps it up for me… so…  
Until next time  
Deuces  
KL21


	12. Set Up repost

Hey hey guys. KL21 here.

Ok guys... sorry about this but this isn't the next chapter. The reason for this is because I've received notice that, for some reason, some of you may have still been seeing the summary chapter instead of the actual chapter 11. So, I'm posting it again... chapter 12 is in production though... but, sorry, no release date is set yet... but I'll have one soon. Sorry for the mix-ups and inconveniences.

I know (re: hope) you guys are probably anxious to get to this chapter so I'll step outta your way and let you guys enjoy.

I give you Chapter 11 of War Games, "Set Up." Please, read and enjoy.

* * *

Set Up

**Sam's POV**

"Hey Sam… what's up?"

How could she even ask that? "You know what's up, Carls."

"Sam, I think you should be sure about it before you jump to conclusions."

"Who else could it have been? You saw it."

"I know that Sam but… something feels off about it."

"Yeah whatever…"

"…"

"…"

I wonder what she's thinking. It could be anything. She could be thinking about that text I got. It was a very weird text. It shook me more than it should… something about it _did_ seem off but I can't put my finger on it. She could be thinking about her hair. It's to be expected after what happened to Spencer. Though, I still think she's overreacting. She could be thinking about Freddie.

I just found out, from our talk in the park, that he got accepted to three different colleges: Stanford, UCLA, and UC Berkeley. You know what those three schools have in common? All of them are in California. You know what _that_ means? They're not in Seattle, or even in the state of Washington. You want to know what _else_ these schools have in common? I don't have a snowball's chance of getting in to any of those colleges. That's right. He's leaving… for good… leaving us… leaving me… for good… and this is how he's going to end it all.

Why he'd want to end it this way, is far beyond me, but I suppose there's nothing I can do about that. I just wish that… I don't really know what I wish. I want him to succeed… but at the cost of our friendship? Could I really give it up? Could I really give _him_ up? Ugh… I'm thinking too much. Is Carly still on the phone?

"Hello?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Ok…" still, nothing to say.

She must be thinking about her role in my plan. To be honest I was gonna have her help me with a prank… but she refused to be a part of anything that would hurt him… stupid conscious and morals. The worst part about it was that it was already out there so I couldn't just take the request back. Now I have to figure out a role that she could play.

"Sam?" why does she sound so uncertain?

"Yeah?"

"…" why is she so quiet?

Maybe if I put a little more force behind it, "Yeah?"

"…"

She did say something, right? Am I losing my mind? I can't be losing my mind. If I'm going up against the nub then I have to be at my best.

"Carly? Did you call me?"

"Yeah..." phew… at least I'm not going crazy.

"What's on your mind, kid?"

"…" not again. "It's nothing."

"What?"

"Did Washington or Washington State respond?" what a crappy subject change.

Why would she bring this up after what we talked about? "Nothing from State… but I got wait listed to Washington."

"Well that _technically_ a yes." way to rub it in, Shay, "If enough people don't respond or decide to go elsewhere then they'll accept you."

I should be grateful, even for that. At the beginning of this year any university accepting me was absolutely out of the question. Come to think of it, I was a long shot, to get into a two year school. But I won't show any gratitude… I won't be grateful for getting considered for Washington, because then, I'd have to be grateful to him... grateful for… him.

"Sam?"

"Yeah."

"I'm proud of you." how could I continue to brood after that?

"Thanks kid." Ok back to business. I guess I could have her play the guilt card. She's good for it, even when she doesn't mean to be. I could only imagine how effective it is when she's using it on purpose. "Hey… wanna know your part in my plan?"

"I already told you that I wouldn't be involved in any violence against our friend."

"I know, I know. This is a strictly non-violent role."

"I'm listening." Atta girl.

"All I need you to do is make Freddie feel guilty. Make him second guess himself… make him hesitate… That'll give me all the time I need."

"Time? What time? Time for what? What exactly are you planning to do?"

Oh Carly, ever the worry wart, "Don't you worry your pretty head about that."

"Sam, I already told you that I wouldn't help you if your plan involved hurting Freddie."

"Well, _technically_, you said that you wouldn't help me hurt Freddie, but your part isn't _hurting_ Freddie your part is making him feel guilty." That's right Shay, loopholes are awesome.

"But Saaaam…" Whining won't work this time.

"Nope, you already agreed to help me… but if you want to back out now, and break your promise, thus, throwing away ANY hope you had of me apologizing to Freddie… then go ahead." Come on Carls… you know you can't play hardball with the big boys…

try as you might… "Fine." You'll fold every time.

"Awesome, you'll start tomorrow when you see him at school."

"Fine, I gotta run, I'll talk to ya later."

"Ok see ya."

There, that settles that part. With Freddie being distracted by Carly and his guilt, he won't possibly be able to fight with me.

Now… I need a patsy… a 'fall' guy… Who's it gonna be? I could get Gibby, but he's been busy lately, and he's developed some sense of dignity. I don't know how he did that but I'll beat it out of him later… for now… he's useless to me. And most of the dependable AV nerds already work with Freddie. So who does that leave? Man… I wish Rodney wasn't in Juvie. Oh well… I need someone… who's got nothin' to lose. Someone smart enough to handle menial tasks, but dumb enough to follow me unquestioningly… someone's who will make the perfect pawn…. I got it!

Come on, pick up. "Hello?"

"Hey. It's Sam."

"Sam!" he seems excited, "Well, feed a kangaroo with two blueberry pies." What? "How are the socks hangin' on the…" Enough of this nonsense.

"Hey do us both a favor here. Don't talk, just listen, and answer with a yes or no." This is gonna save us a lot of time and frustration. "Do you… _understand_?"

"Well of… I mean, yes." Good.

"Good… now, as you know, I pick an unlucky target for the end of the year prank."

"Ye-"

"Not finished." What an idiot. "Anyway… Since I'm graduating, this one is gonna be big. The enormity of this prank requires some assistance." Good he isn't saying anything… he'll make a perfect lackey. "So, would you like to help me?"

"Of course."

"Good… meet me in the hallway when the lunch bell rings. I'll instruct you further there."

"Ok."

"Oh… before I forget. Bring a jar of mayonnaise, a bottle of honey, and some super glue."

"Ok."

"And now that you are, for all intents and purposes, working for me; I'll need you to refer to me as ma'am.

"Yes ma'am."

"That's a good boy, now get to it."

Good. I've got my lackey/fall guy. I've got my distraction. Now all that's left is to… Who's calling me now? Why is _he_ calling me?

"What?"

"Well hello to you too, Sam."

The nerve of this guy, "NO! My friends call me Sam! My enemy's and future victims call me Samantha! We're not anything anymore, remember?"

"Yeah…" listen to him, trying to sound all pitiful. "Yeah I remember well enough, that's what I wanted to talk about."

"I already told you… there's nothing left to talk about!" How dare he even remember the number to this phone, and call me. "I heard what you have to say, loud and clear!"

"But…"

"Save your buts for the toilet seat!" yeah… that shut him up. "Listen to me Fredward. It's bad enough that you said what you said. But to call up hoping to end anything, while you pretend nothing happened… That's insulting… it's infuriating… it's demeaning… and I will not put up with it!"

"Sam, I swear. I have no idea what you're talking about." Ugh… fine if you're gonna play that way…

"You know what? I don't have time for this. How about you call me when you have an idea _and_ an apology."

"Sam wa-" waste of my time.

He thinks he can just call up here, sounding all pathetic? What? That's supposed to make me forgive him? Sorry bub… it ain't that easy.

Not after what he said…

"_Are you done laughing yet, Sam?"_ I couldn't help it. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. Even better, it was a light that had me standing victorioius.

"_Awww, you're no fun."_

"_Joke all you want, but if this doesn't get fixed before the year is over you may run out of time."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Well… "_

"_What?"_

"_I don't know if I shou-"_

"_Tell me!"_

"_Freddie got accepted to some pretty good schools."_

"_So? What does that have to do wi-"_

"_They're all in California!"_

"_WHAT!"_

"_Yeah, he was gonna tell you but you weren't around when he got the acceptance letters. Besides that, when he told me that he was accepted, he also told me that he was probably gonna go to UW just so we could all remain close."_

"…" I was speechless. Would he really do that?

"_I haven't heard where he's gonna go now."_

"_Now?"_

"_Well yeah. With this whole rift between you two, I find it hard to imagine that he'll stay here."_

"_Well, what schools in California did he get accepted to?"_

"_Stanford, UCLA, and UC Berkley."_

"_What's UC Berkley?"_

"_Seriously?"_

"…" What does she want from me? I've never heard of the place.

"_It's Cal, Sam."_

"_No chizz!"_

"_SAM!"_

"_Sorry, sorry, relax, relax."_ Well, to be fair, nobody actually calls it UC Berkley. Freddie doesn't even use the name, UC Berkley.

"…"

"_Besides, even if he and I are still fighting, do you think he would leave _you_ behind too?"_

"_Well…"_

"_I mean… we're a trio, shouldn't his friendship with you be enough to keep him in Seattle? Shouldn't iCarly be enough to, at least, stall his decision?"_

"_You still don't get it, do you?"_

"_Get what?"_

"_I know you're not dumb, so I'm gonna assume that you're just ignoring the past three years."_

"_Wha- What are you talkin' about, _three years_?"_

"_When Freddie won the School at Sea thing, what did you think would happen to iCarly?"_

"_Well…"_

"_Did you think that Freddie would, somehow, film us while he was in some random location on the planet? Did you think that we would just plug in some random guy and show him the ropes, and everything would go along just fine, as if he were never there? Did you forget that we tried that once before with, less than satisfactory, results?"_

"_Well, that's why he decided to stay."_ I wasn't stupid. I knew all of that… I still do.

"_Really, Sam? Really? Are you gonna stand there and tell me that you believed that crock?"_

"_Crock?"_

"_Yes… crock."_

"_Well it's the truth. You said it yourself. We can't do the show without him. It's the perfect reason."_

"_That's just _it_, Sam. If he knew the show couldn't run without him then why would he sign up in the first place? If he knew he would be leaving us behind why would he sign up at all?"_

I should have known where this was going.

"_You know as well as I know, that it wasn't until _you_ went to him, that he reconsidered going. He believed _you_, even when I didn't… and he gave his trip up for _you._"_

"…" Speechless yet again. I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it. For me? Yeah right.

"_iCarly wasn't enough... I wasn't enough… You were… I'm not sure how long, but since then… it's always been you."_

"_I won't promise an apology… but I will try to work it out… but he has to contact me… I do have an image to maintain, after all."_

And that's when it happened,,, When the whole game changed. That's when I got a text that would change the fabric of this fight.

Sam  
I've had enough  
you pushed me  
too far I've made  
my decision and it  
doesn't involve  
you. Have a nice  
life

"_Who's it from, Sam?"_

"_Freddie."_ I was right all along.

"_Sam? What's wrong? What's it say?"_ I handed the phone to her in a hollow victory.

"_Looks like you were wrong, Shay."_

"_What?" _I watched as she read it._ "There's gotta be somethin' wrong. That doesn't sound like…"_ Apparently he wasn't done, because Carly soon got a text of her own.

Hi Carly  
I've got a date on  
Tuesday nite. I was  
wondering if you  
could help me get  
ready for it. Thanks.

"_This… this can't be right."_

"_Lemme see."_

"_Sam wait…"_ I snatched the phone, searching for a confirmation of what I was already certain of.

Sure enough, it was from him, and it was all the confirmation I needed. _"Well I suppose that's what the case is."_

"_Sam, Freddie wouldn't say those things. Freddie wouldn't just…"_

"_Read the phones Carly! Read those words! They say what they say! It's not speculation! It's not word of mouth! It's not hearsay! It's comin' straight from the horse's mouth!"_

"_Sam…"_

"_No, Carly! I don't wanna hear it anymore! However, he used to feel, it's obvious that he doesn't feel that way anymore!"_

"_Sam… let me talk to him and find out what's going on!"_

"_Do what you want… but it won't change what he said. You were wrong Carls."_

She was wrong. She _is_ wrong. Freddie, apparently, _has_ moved on. Which is fine, I suppose… It was bound to happen sooner or later. But to end it the way he did… that was just… unthinkable. Not even _I_ would have ended it like that.

Friends for five years… well… three years… but that's still a long time. To end our friendship via text message, that's gutless… that's spineless… that's… it's heartless.

"_and he gave his trip up for _you._"_

I can't believe that I thought that it was actually for me_._

"_iCarly wasn't enough…"_

I can't believe that I wanted it to be.

"… _I wasn't enough… You were…"_

I can't believe how wrong Carly was… how wrong we both were.

"… _it's always been you."_

I can't believe that I wish she was right.

* * *

Well there you have it. The long awaited return of this fic.

Big thanks to pigwiz, The Earl of Sandwich, and axel100… for their encouragement in the completion of this chapter. It is due to them that this chapter exists at all. So a big thanks to them.

Thanks to all of you who still want to read this fic and haven't given up on it. Please tell me what ya think. Even if you decide not to review… thank you guys for reading. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

If you want to read other fantastic stuff from the Cabal, then shoot on over to their pages and check them out:

aussiemma… axel100… BaalRules… BoxOfTrinkets… boxofpiglets… Coyote Laughs… ItalianBabexo8… iCabal… iCarlyangst… iLuvNathanKrEsS… JamesTheGreater… KingxLeon21… Myjumpingsocks… ober22… pairababes… Pieequals36… pigwiz… Tech-Man… The Earl of Sandwich… xXACCEBXx

I promise you won't be disappointed.

Well that about wraps it up for me… so…  
Until next time  
Deuces  
KL21


	13. Opening Volley

Hey there guys… well those of you still reading this. This is KL21 back from the grave. That's right the grave. I had temporarily decided to hang up the whole thing. Tried to walk away from it all. But I couldn't do it. Every time I told myself it was over a little voice told me that I still had it in me… so here I am.

To anyone whose reading this for the first time; this story was started long before seddie was HUGE like it is now, or seems to be anyway. So just keep in mind that in this story; the Seddie Arc never happened (which, at this point, sounds like it would have been for the best. But that's a fight for another day I suppose).

To those of you who aren't new readers, there are more POV changes than I'd have liked but they were deemed necessary and that will not be a common occurrence and hopefully just a one-time deal. Please bear with me for this one chapter. Please and Thank you.

So I've taken up enough of your time. I give you the 12th chapter of War Games, Opening Volley.

Please, read, enjoy, and review; thank you.

* * *

Opening Volley

**? POV**

I wonder who'd be calling me at this time of night.

"Hello?"

"Let's skip the pleasantries. I'm very busy." Well that's rude.

"Well, if you're so busy, then why are you calling me?"

"Watch that tone. You can easily be replaced." insufferable witch, "Now; I'm calling to make sure you've got everything under control so far."

"Yeah, everything is moving along smoothly. She doesn't suspect a thing."

"Perfect." I hate the sound of her cackling voice, "make sure that it remains that way."

She's starting to sound like one of those clichéd movie villains, "And you're positive that this plan of yours will work?"

"Of course I am. I predicted that she'd call, didn't I? I predicted that the party would be derailed for them, didn't I? I, even, predicted that the webcast would suffer. I'm in total control here. And the beauty of it is; neither of them suspects a thing. They're so wrapped up in the hatred of their past that they can't even open their eyes to the events happening in front of them. "

"Well if that's the case, then why don't you just take a more proactive step?"

"What do you mean, _proactive_?" that wasn't the right question to ask, "I'm the one holding all of the cards. _Nothing_ happens unless I want it to happen. _Nothing_ moves unless I want it to move. _No one_ knows _anything_ unless _I_ want them to know. _Everything_ moves through me. I am the prism through which the light shines, creating a rainbow leading to the pot of gold."

A bit over the top isn't it, "And when do we reach this 'pot o' gold'?"

"All in good time. In good time, I'll have him all to myself. In good time, she'll be forced out of the picture entirely. All. In. Good. Time."

"Why are you using that awful British accent?"

"How about you worry less about my speech patterns, and more about making sure you don't screw this up!"

"Alright, alright, calm down. There's no need to yell." sometimes I wonder how I get myself caught up in these things. "So, what do I get out of this?" All of this planning is well and good, but I'm nobody's lackey.

"What do you want?"

"What I've always wanted… her."

"Well, then, you can have her. Once we're done with her, she'll be a broken mess. Then, you'll be able to swoop in and pick up the pieces. Be the 'knight in shining armor' that you've always wanted to be."

I like the sound of that, "Good. Well, I've got to go. I've got things that I have to do if this is going to continue to go on without a hitch."

"Whatever, just be sure to watch your step. I've put a lot of work into this and I will not have you screwing this up with you blundering ways."

Insufferable witch.

However, she does make a good plan.

Soon, you will be mine.

**Normal POV**

"Sam wa-" he asked into the dead silence that remained after the click. "Hello? Sam? Sam!" he stared at his phone in disbelief as he lowered the phone from his ear.

He couldn't believe that she'd hung up on him. She was mentioning some message that he was certain he didn't send. As a matter of fact, he hadn't even spoken to her since Gibby's party, and even then that was her sending him messages. He had no problem apologizing if he was wrong, but even he wouldn't just apologize to appease Sam.

Then it hit him. She was the one that sent him the threat. She knew what was going to happen at that party. She had to. Knowing her, she probably set the whole thing up. And she had the nerve to ask _him_ for an apology? What did she expect him to say?

Sorry, Sam, for getting pelted with water balloons all night? Sorry for having to replace my camera? Sorry for getting stuffed into, and having to roll out of, a trash can in front of the entire senior class?

Yeah, right.

It will be a cold day in the hottest part of Hell before he apologized for anything.

Freddie took a few deep breaths to calm his self down. He decided to check his phone to see just what, exactly, she thinks he should be apologizing for.

He scrolled through his previous messages "Ok… From Sam… From Sam… I remember _those_."

"Huh? To Sam? I don't remember sending this." He tried to open the message and found that his phone was asking for a password. "Wha- what the… How did this message get locked?" He had no reason to lock his phone. Something strange is going on.

He continued scrolling and was surprised to se that a text had also been sent to Carly. He _knows_ that he hasn't sent her a text message in forever. Strangely enough, that one was also locked. Who could've sent these? And what do they say? This is obviously what Sam and Carly are so upset about but he can't apologize because he didn't do anything.

Feeling a migraine coming on, he decided that he'd tackle this mess later. A good night's sleep would give his brain a much needed rest. He looked over at his clock.

"2 in the morning?" He uttered with a groan. Well four hours of sleep is better than nothing.

He tossed his phone on his nightstand, and laid his head down on his pillow for what he was sure was going to be a restless sleep.

Freddie woke up the next morning figuring that it would best to beat the crowd to school. Avoid any human interaction as much as humanly possible.

It worked pretty well the first day. He made it through the day without incident. He did see Reuben and Sam chatting next to her locker but knew that he was in no position to inquire about it. He had enough on his plate just trying to survive; without putting himself in harm's way by poking into Sam's personal life. That was dangerous enough when they were friends. Now that they're in this purgatory of a relationship, there's no telling what she'd do.

Nope, he had to do everything that was necessary for his survival. It seemed that he was on the right track. If he could keep this up, then he may just make it until summer, or until he could make up with Sam.

Whichever came first.

Now in the second day of this "avoidance" maneuver, Freddie, once again, beat the crowd. On the way to his locker, Freddie turned around to face the stairwell. He could have sworn he'd heard something.

He stood in front of the stairwell and stared at the steps trying to will whatever was hiding up there to reveal itself.

He shook his head at the absurdity that anyone would be up there. It was 7:03 in the morning. The only people here would be people in Early Bird classes. Sam certainly didn't have one of those, and even if she did, she wouldn't show up for it.

He shrugged it off and walked over to his locker. He input his combination and before he could even recognize what was going on, he found himself covered in what he could only assume, and hope, was mayonnaise.

He was fairly certain the twisted individual who would even think up such a prank to pull.

"Sam," he seethed.

It had to be her, but when did she do it. There was always the day before, but Mondays were always her 'busy days". She could've done it, Saturday. However, that's highly unlikely seeing as to how Sam has generally sworn off doing anything on any Saturday… ever. Then that noise I heard must've been…

"Whoa… what's goin' on with that raspberry stockade?"

Is that Reuben? He hasn't been seen nor heard from since Sam ran him out of that restaurant. Come to think of it… He's been seeing more and more of Reuben over the last two days.

"Seems you've let the gurney fall on the trapeze."

"Yeah… sure." Freddie could already foresee the headache that would arise from the ensuing conversation. "Hold on a sec, Reuben." There was only one way to avoid confusion when talking to Reuben.

"You've reached the Gibster."

Gibby is the only person that's been able to understand what he says.

"Hey, Gibby. What's up?"

"What do you mean 'what's up'? You called me." He had a point.

"My bad Gib."

"No worries man. You've had a rough weekend from what I've heard."

"Yeah."

"So, what do you need?"

"I've got Reuben standing here, and I need you to translate for me."

"That's strange."

"Yeah, I didn't think anybody would be at the school this early. Anyway, he asked me 'what's goin' on with that raspberry stockade'."

"You're covered in mayonnaise? Man, you get into the craziest stuff."

"Gib, you have no idea. He also said that I 'let the gurney fall on the trapeze.'"

"He said that you must have made someone pretty upset to get caught on the end of something like that."

"Yeah… Yeah I must have." This all struck Freddie as being a bit fishy.

Why would Reuben say that? Why would Reuben say anything at all? He'd been more or less a ghost around Ridgeway for a couple of years. Even when he was a prominent presence, he didn't speak to anyone except Gibby. And now, he's suddenly in the hallways and speaking to him?

Very fishy, indeed.

"Freddie? Freddie!"

"Yeah Gib? Sorry about that. I spaced out for a bit."

"No problem. I was just tellin' you that I'd meet ya at lunch to give you your payment for my party."

"Sure thing Gib. See ya then." Freddie pocketed his cell phone. He had to get to class before people started showing up, "Alright Reuben, I suppose I'll catch ya later."

"Don't let the monkey's stopper wig out on ya banger."

"Ummm… Yeah." What on Earth did that mean, "Later man."

Freddie walked to the bathroom to clean up. Being covered in Mayonnaise would certainly work against his aims to keep a low profile.

He kicked the bathroom door open with his foot, hoping to foil any traps that may have been laid for him. To his relief, nothing happened. He stepped into the bathroom and proceeded to clean himself off. Then he heard the bell ring.

"Crap."

He hurried and finished cleaning himself off and went to his class. He took his seat and placed his head on his desk, waiting for class to start. After, about, five minutes, He could hear the teacher begin to address the class.

"Alright, class. Get in, sit down, and shut up, you're on my time now."Freddie picked up his head to see the, imposing, Mr. Arnold glaring at him. "Get enough sleep, Mr. Benson?"

Freddie huffed, "Not nearly."

"Is that so?" Freddie heard the, almost, sadistic tone of his teacher's voice, "Then, maybe, you should move around a little. Get the blood flowing."

Freddie sighed to himself, muttering under his breath, "Crap."

"Mr. Benson!" The teacher exclaimed in a voice that was more boisterous than necessary, "Would you, please, come to the front and collect last night's homework?"

Freddie grumbled a bit more and moved to get up from his seat. Then he heard the last thing he wanted, or expected to hear. A silence shattering rip seemed to echo throughout the room. Then he felt a sickening draft up his backside. He shut his eyes tight in a futile attempt to disappear. The snickers that he heard from his classmates behind him slowly swelled to a grandiose laughter. He snapped out of his stupor and squatted down to pick up his bag. He quickly rushed from the classroom. He didn't even stop to look where he was going. It wasn't until he rounded a corner and spotted Sam leaning against her locker with a smirk on her face. He almost stopped but, luckily, the draft he felt reminded him of the gravity of the situation. He rushed through the doors and to his car… he drove home and didn't stop until he got there.

**Sam's POV**

That's right little boy. Run. Know the regret of facing Samantha J. Puckett in battle.

Well, I suppose I should survey the damage. Hmmm… that's Armstrong Arnold's class… wouldn't do too much good to go in. Better to just wait it out and question somebody as they're leaving.

Well may as well send a quick message while I wait.

Hmmm… I wonder how long this will actually take. Oh well, it's not like I have anywhere to be right now.

Oh look, Chang is coming out. If I remember correctly, she sits right behind Freddie. She should be able to fill me in nicely.

"Hey, Chang. What's up?"

"Um… my name's Chung, Sam. Stephanie Chung."

"Oh… right. Sorry… anyway, is Benson in class today?"

"You didn't hear? Someone put industrial strength quick dry cement on his seat. Mr. Arnold told him to get up and collect the homework, because he was sleeping in class. When Freddie stood up… well let's just say we could see London AND France."

What? "You mean everyone saw Freddie's-"

"UNDERPANTS!" I can't believe she just said that. "Cute butt though."

Ha, yeah right. "You sure it was Freddie's underpants you were lookin' at?"

"Oh yes, girl. Makes you wonder why he hasn't been snatched up."

This chick is off her rocker, "Maybe it was the way he fled the scene of his, apparent, humiliation."

"Oh yeah, there's that." She's so stupid, "But that can't happen to him all the time. Besides, there are rumors that he's hanging around with the new girl. They could become a 'thing' any day now… at least, that's the news from Wendy." Wait… what?, "Well I gotta run Sam, Armstrong sent me to get a janitor, he could come looking for me at any moment."

"Ok see ya."

This isn't right. Quick drying cement? I told Rueben to use honey. Now all plans have to be put on hold until tomorrow. That idiot managed to screw this up. I knew I shoulda just forced one of the AV nerds to help me. Well, now there's nothing left but to regroup and plan for tomorrow.

I can't believe that I have to call this moron again.

"Hello?"

"What did I ask you to bring?'

"Well… about that-"

"No, no. No excuses. Only answers." I can't believe I couldn't find better help than this, "What did I tell you to bring."

"Mayonnaise, honey, and super glue."

"Correct. Now, when we were talking yesterday during lunch, what did I tell you to do?"

"Well a kangaroo's gotta have a mash-"

"I said no excuses!" I don't have time for this nonsense, "You used, of all things, quick drying cement. Now, he's left the school. Do you know what that means?"

"Well-"

"Shut up! It means that all plans have to be pushed back. I'm tryin' to end this thing as soon as possible. Stick to my plan… No. More. Improvising. Am I understood?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'll text you later with plans for our next assault."

Even though I'm upset about having to push my plans back, the look of humiliation was a nice treat.

And if you think that's bad, Benson…

… you ain't seen nothin' yet.

* * *

So there you have it. Another installment of War Games.

Again, to all those who have stuck with this story (if any) thank you. And to all of you who are jumping on board, thanks to you guys too. I will do my best not to disappoint.

Well that about wraps it up for this one.

I hope you enjoyed my fic. Please leave a review if you are so inclined. If you are not as inclined, then I hope you enjoyed reading my fic as much as (more than) I enjoyed writing it.

Until next time  
Deuces  
KL21


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